Self Reflections
by ReflectiveSoul
Summary: Buried with a deep and hidden burden. Feeling there is no hope, and yet… still hanging on. Tech will have to face who he truly is, what he has, and why he continues.
1. Chapter 1

I am happy to finally start a Loonatics Unleashed fanfic. This will be my first one, so any constructive criticism will help me. I haven't seen many of the episodes yet, but I'm hoping to see them all soon.

This will be a different outlook on one of the main characters (namely Tech, him being my favorite) than how he is portrayed in the show. He will go through hardships, but overall will have a better grasp of his identity.

Loonatics Unleashed © WarnerBros.

* * *

_You know, from all the things that happen in life there is nothing worse than finding out something obvious. The answer was right there in front of you, but you never gave heed. I wish… I could have done noticed that sooner before all the things that have happened. And yet… I don't know how I could be the person I am today without going through what I went through. Since the meteor struck and gave us all these special abilities, we've been through everything together. Ace and the others… no… my friends, helped me to become who I am. But still… why do I feel so… guilty._

_------_

_Things go on. I never imagined the life of a superhero to be routine. Then again, there are always those times when it makes it all worth while. Working with the team always made me felt needed. I can't explain all the feelings I felt after meeting them. Back at the Institute, I always felt useless. My experiments always failing and blowing up in my face, literally. Then when everything changed with that incident, I never felt the same again. Once again in my life… I felt needed. What an ambiguous feeling. Is it a perverted sense of feeling self-secure? Whatever it is… I like it. I can't imagine being without them. They make me feel… whole._

"Hey-Tech!"

Tech nearly jumped from his seat when he heard the sudden intrusion from reality. He can never get used to the way Rev always seems to sneak behind him. You'd think he'd be more easy to detect with that inundating beak of his. Tech slowly stood to his feet as he grabbed onto the table's edge. As he regained his composure, a sudden thought struck.

_I guess I knew the reason all the time. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. No wonder I haven't been able to get any work done. But… why about… those feelings?_

"Tech-Tech-Tech-Tech-Tech! Hey-hey-hey! Come-on-slow-poke-get-up-and-let's-get-going!" the hyperactive avian continued to pester his teammate. Tech was busy trying to organize his desk when Rev caught him off-guard.

"What is it Rev? And don't you ever knock before you come in?"

"Well-I-would-but-I-don't-see-the-reason-for-knocking-on-doors-when-you're-goin-to-go-in-anyway-so-I-guess-I-never-really-have-knocked-before-but-I-wanted-to-get-you-very-fast-but-now-it-seems-it's-taking-longer-because-I'm-trying-to-answer-your-question-which-I-guess-now-that-I-think-about-it-seems-to-be-counter-intuitive…"

"Rev?" the coyote interrupted with a slightly annoyed face.

"Oh!-sorry-Tech-I-rambled-on-again-didn't-I?"

"Quite alright," Tech said with a sigh. "So what's the reason you're here, since you're more perky than usual."

"Oh-yeah!-Ace-and-the-others-wanted-to-know-if-you-want-to-play-volley-ball-with-us?-Will-you?-huh-huh?"

"No thanks if you don't mind."

"Awww-I-do-mind-How-come?-come-on-Tech-it-will-be-fun-Don't-you-want-to-have-fun?" Truth be told, Tech really did want to play. However, there was still too much work to be done. He had started on a new device that would allow better functioning of their current jet packs. He had managed to calculate an increase of its maneuverability by up to 20 percent. The task was still in its prototype stages, but it would have gotten farther had it not been for those interrupting thoughts.

"I'm really sorry Rev, but I really need to get this idea off the ground. Besides, it means an increase in our battle performance, probably less time on some missions, and even less chance for any injuries during battle." Rev already started to quiet down when Tech began to say "sorry." Rev knew the coyote to be a genius, but he hated it when his reasons are always justified in one strong way or another. In fact, he began to notice how anytime Tech would refuse an offer to play, it would always be for an invention or improvement that would better the team. That was a quality he always admired. Never once did Tech lay off his work for anything except helping the team. He was so caring, so self-less, almost to a fault. No wonder he can never say no to any decision Tech set his mind to. As a member of the team that had no offensive capabilities per se, he was always there with the team, helping. But no matter how well intentioned he was, Rev wished that just once Tech would come and play.

"Anyway, I'm sure you guys will have fun without me. Even if there is an imbalance of players, you can handle being on a team alone much less one player short." And of course, Rev thought to himself, the objective analysis was there to crush any reason for him to play.

"Okay-okay-okay-you-made-your-point-but-it-would-still-be-fun-if-you-can-join-us-so-come-down-whenever-you-finish-up-okay?"

"Alright, alright. You got me there Rev. I hope not to be long either." And at last a positive response from the secluded genius brightened Rev's face.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah-better-hurry-I-think-Lexi-looks-like-she's-going-to-murder-someone-today-'cause-she-looks-anxious."

Tech smiled as his friend left the room. "I'll make a careful note of that," he called out after the roadrunner. Time and time again, Tech felt as if he was blessed by heaven for such good and loving friends. As he began to gather materials and his jet pack for the modifications, he couldn't help but shed a tear.

"I hope… I can always be there for you guys."

Moving the materials he gathered, he was about to place them on his desk when suddenly he froze in his tracks. An acute pain quickly shot through his body. The pain was searing heat that threatened to overcome his senses. Tech clutched his body and tried to scream, but nothing came out. His lungs failed to draw in air as he was deprived of oxygen. But just as suddenly as the pain came, it suddenly disappeared. Tech gasped on the floor sweating profusely from the brief agony he experienced. Questions raced through his mind as he panted for breath.

"huh… huh… huh… what… was that?"

Suddenly sirens screeched, signaling an urgent message from Zadavia.

"Well I guess there goes our game," Duck groaned sarcastically.

"Quick guys, Acmetropolis needs us!" Ace really does know how to state the obvious well, but that's also why the team loves his deep sense of justice for the protection of the people. The team quickly ran into the control room for which Zadavia made her urgent appearances. Due to the nature of these transmissions, it had always been a hassle trying to go to the control room from any part of their headquarters the Loonatics were in. Tech often thought about installing several monitors throughout the tower in order for the team to hear the massages together faster.

"Hey,-where's-Tech?" Rev anxiously asked. "Right here…" Tech said as he came through the door. "What-took-you-so-long-Tech?" Tech walked towards the others as he regained his composure from the strange experience. "I'm sorry… I think I need to work out more." "See-see-see-didn't-I-tell-you-you-should-play-with-us?-Could-do-you-a-lot-of-good."

"We're all here Zadavia, what's the news?"

"The news is it Loonatics. Someone has infiltrated the major news networks and has sent a virus knocking systems out systematically one by one."

"Well there goes my TV shows," Duck responded.

"The police have managed to trace where the virus was sent and indicates that the person is still linked to the network."

"Alright!" Lexi stated. "Where is the jerk?"

"He's currently connected to a public internet hot spot downtown. You must stop him before he disrupts all the news systems still online."

"Got it Zadavia! Loonatics, let's move out!" With no further encouragement, the team went to the equipment room and got ready their jet packs.

"Hey Tech," Ace called out to his teammate slightly worried. "You okay? You seem to be out of it today."

"Naw… I'm fine Ace. I'm just a little tired I guess."

"Well okay, but don't push yourself, alright."

"Alright."

"By the way, I heard from Rev you're working on modifications for our jet packs."

"Yeah, I only have the blueprints, but I still need to make and test them out."

"Heh," Ace gave his award winning smile, "can't wait to try 'em out." He quickly strapped his pack around his waist and ran with Tech towards the exit to the launch pad. "I'm not exactly sure what this guy is capable of Tech, but do you have anything to stop his virus?"

"I'm not sure Ace, but I'm sure I'll be able to figure something once we've apprehended him."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Come on, let's go."

The Loonatics soon took off for downtown Acmetropolis. Though the police have traced the hacker, Tech thought it to be very unusual for them to isolate a location so easily. Given some allotted time for them to contact Zadavia, the police shouldn't have been able to detect the guy that fast. The news networks had highly sophisticated technology that managed data at unbelievable speeds and amounts. Such a complex computer network must undoubtedly have firewalls and safe-guards from outside intervention. A bright, clever mind with extensive knowledge of computer protocols should only be able to access such a large database. Yet, the police have managed to trace the hacker's location even before he has logged out. Tech sensed that there was something very wrong about this, but decided not to bother his teammates with only an assumption.

The Loonatics soon arrived in downtown and searched for the internet hot spot.

"Tech, can you give us the position of the hot spot?"

"Sure chief." Tech used his scanners to locate a high density of wireless and communication signals. "The hot spot seems to be right down their Ace" The Loonatics headed for the building and quickly landed on the roof next door.

"Alright team, this guy may be very dangerous. We don't know if he's unarmed or not, but we can't risk a surprise entrance. Civilians are here and we'd better make sure no hostages can be made from the people in there."

"But Ace," Duck interrupted, "he's a computer nerd. How can he possibly be a threat to people? He's probably one of those tubby guys with no strength whatsoever."

"Ahem," Tech glared at Duck. "I resent that generalization." Duck smiled shyly as he backed off the subject. "Uh, heh… never mind."

"Tech, Can you use do some reconnaissance?"

"I'm already on it chief. I've been aching to try my new multi-directional periscope." Tech fidgeted through his back pack and took out the small surveillance device. He slipped the one-eyed device onto his head and unlocked a remote control that was connected to it. The tool had a smooth, sleek design that had the camouflage of a steel cord with a nicely correlated thickness. Using the remote control, the wire-like camera extended itself down to the level of the building and peered through the window. Observing the inside, Tech noticed that only a few people were currently there. A couple of teenagers with a few adults were using the computers. In most cases, the likely suspect would probably one who had brought their own computer. Sure enough, Tech's hunch was correct as he spotted a suspicious man wearing a thick hat and long trench coat.

"Oh please, if you're going to commit something illegal, you may not want to be dressed so inconspicuously."

"You find something Tech?" Lexi inquired curiously from his remark.

"Yeah, I think I've spotted him. He's on the other side of the building. He's wearing a thick hat and a grayish black trench coat. The suspect has a computer with him and is most likely the device he is using to implement the virus."

"Gee, no wonder he's a crook," Lexi added. "Anyone wearing that fashion has to be thrown in jail."

"Okay gang, here's what we'll do. Rev you go in there and snatch the computer from the guy while Slam and Duck get the people out of the building. Lexi, Tech and I will surround him while he's distracted. Everybody got it?"

Ace's teammates nodded as they silently went into position. Given the signal, Rev zoomed quickly into the room. "Hey-how-ya-doing-sorry-to-bother-you-but-I'll-take-that." Rev snatched the computer from the man immediately as the others charged in. Duck and Slam quickly took the remaining civilians outside, while Ace, Lexi, and Tech surrounded the man.

"Alright Doc. Hold it right there and don't move a muscle. You're violating this city's news networks." Even with the audacity of Ace's words, the man remained unmoved and seem to have ignored him. "Hello? Do you have anything to say for yourself?" The figure remained still as the trio began to get suspicious. Ace took the first step and tapped the guy's shoulder. However, when Ace touched him, the man's shoulder seemed to be as hard as metal. Upon closer inspection, Ace noticed it was a dummy.

"Guys, I think he was expecting us." Lexi and Tech peered closer and found Ace's words to be true. "Hmm…" Tech began to ponder. "Seems we underestimated him. The dummy appears to be made out of aluminum alloy with no significant design. It really may be just a dummy after all."

"I don't understand," Lexi began to scratch her head. "Then exactly where is this guy? I thought Zadavia said he was still logged on."

As if answering her question a laser blast racked her body as it made contact. Ace and Tech quickly turned to find the exact replica of the dummy in front of the bathroom door. "I'm right here Loonatics. I hope my little friend kept you company because its going to detonate in 30 seconds. HAHAHAHA!" The masked figure quickly shot a laser blast at Tech and Ace. The two quickly dodged the attack as the villain used the distraction to escape through the rear entrance.

"Tech! You check on Lexi and deactivate that bomb! I'll go after him."

"Got it Chief."

Ace took out his communicator and contacted the others while he ran through the back door. "Slam! Help Tech inside. Duck, Rev! Go through the back and follow me. We're going after the hacker." The others soon mobilized as they ran through the entrance of the internet hot spot. "Take-care-of-Lexi-Tech-we'll-get-him-back-for-her." Rev said as he and Duck ran by.

"Good luck you guys." Tech turned to Slam and instructed him on what to do. "Slam, take care of Lexi while I try and deactivate this bomb." Slam nodded as Tech began to carry the dummy outside. He had less than 30 seconds, so he had to make this quick. Hopefully the hacker left him something simple to dismantle, but that rarely is ever the case. As he took the casing off of the dummy, Tech's heart skipped a beat. The timer was at 10 seconds and still counting down.

"No! There's no time to deactivate it! I'll have to launch it as far in the sky as possible to reduce the amount of damage." Quickly gathering his strength, Tech began to spin around in a circle holding onto the dummy to balance the centripetal force. As soon as he thought his speed was sufficient, Tech released the mannequin and shooting it into the air. Concentrating his electromagnetic powers, Tech released a burst of energy from his palms that followed after the bomb. As soon as the energy struck the object, it was launched even further into the air. Tech soon braced himself onto the ground waiting for the imminent explosion to occur. The strange thing was… the explosion never happened.

Tech raised his ears questioningly from the ground as he heard nothing but the cool night air. He peeled his eyes open and raised himself from the ground. "W-what happened?"

* * *

Well, for now that ends the story. A lot of new and strange things are going to happen to Tech, but the effects of those things are unknown for now. I hope everyone enjoyed my first Loonatics Unleashed fanfic.

For the bright people who may have several theories for Tech's circumstances, please keep them to yourselves for now. The next chapter reveals a lot about what's going to happen to Tech.

Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for you guys who liked my first chapter. I hope this chapter will shed some more light about the Loonatic's situation, and Tech's. However, it is kinda long because I couldn't find a way to end the chapter appropriately. Oh well. However, there will be a wonderful surprise near the end about Tech. You'll see… Enjoy!

Loonatics Unleashed © WarnerBros.

* * *

"Rev, Duck! Glad to see you guys." Still in hot pursuit of the fleeting villain, Ace was relieved to get some back up. Not that he can't handle the guy himself, but from what he did to Lexi, he had to be very cautious.

"No-problem-Ace-not-that-you-wouldn't-seeing-how-you-called-us-and-how-slow-you're-running-Man-how-can-you-catch-anyone-running-like-that?"

"Heh." Rev was always one to relieve tense situation. Not only a great fighter, but a great asset to the team. Sometimes Ace wonders how all of them get along in such a feisty bunch such as they were. "Great to see you too Rev. Mind cutting' ahead while me and Duck corner him from behind?"

"No-problem!-On-my-way-Over-and-out!" Rev quickly raced through an alternate route to make Ace's two-pronged attack a reality. "Duck?" Ace turned to call the mallard behind him.

"Yeah, Ace?"

"Once me and Rev catch up to this guy, do you think you can hide for a bit?"

"Sure… but isn't the point of a pursuit to corner the criminal, not to hide from him?" Duck asked with his usual sarcastic tone of voice. "That's not it Duck. He ambushed Lexi back there and I don't want to give him an opportunity to escape."

"Ahh! Got ya."

"Good. If anything goes wrong, do your quacking thing and catch him off-guard." With all the crazy villains they faced before, none had given them the slip this quickly. However, this guy overlooked Rev's global positioning abilities… or was he expecting it? Ace had a bad feeling about this as they entered an alley between two large complexes. With such a narrow passage way, the duo soon spotted the figure up ahead. Rev soon appeared on the other side of the alley to block any chance of escape.

"Right on cue Rev!" Ace waved approvingly. "Did-you-ever-doubt-me?" With the pursuit coming to its end, Ace and Rev closed in on the perpetrator. "Alright Doc! You're coming with us to serve your sentence for the system crashes and for hurting our friend." As if not heeding their words, the man just stood there. Ace began to wonder from the awkward silence if this guy managed to place another dummy. But how exactly would he be able to do that? Ace saw him run down through this very alley. Even without his optical enhancements, there was no possible way he could have managed a switch, especially if the figure in front of him had such life-like motions. Fortunately confirming that he wasn't hallucinating, the masked figure began a slow and sinister laugh.

"Ha ha… ha ha ha… Mahahahaha!"

"Hey-what's-so-funny-smart-guy?-Have-you-lost-it?-We-have-you-cornered!" The man merely smiled with an evil grin as he spoke with an unusually terrifyingly deep, and menacing voice.

"Cornered? I'm afraid your mistaken." Ace froze as he began to speak. The hacker's voice was different. It had a lower pitch than from the previous encounter along with a more sadistic tone. Ace's usual firm nerves of steel grew nervous at the sheer enigma who stood there, constantly becoming more mysterious with every passing second.

"W-Who are you! What do you want!"

"Nothing that you need to know. Besides, you should be more concerned about that girl than me… rabbit." From that statement alone, Ace's body filled with anger. Maintaining calm and coolness was a trait Ace always managed to perform consistently during battle. However, this situation made him turn for the worst. Not only had he injured Lexi, but that cocky, inconsiderate attitude only outlined the smugness exhibited by this man. Ace couldn't stand for anyone who was so amoral and easily disregarded the safety of others. The enemies he faced in the past couldn't compare to this guy's egocentric attitude.

"Nothing!" Ace began with an outburst of pure emotion. "You hacked into this city's news network with a virus, dragged us out here with an ambush, hurt my friend, and you **think** I don't need to know?" Ace's eyes began to burn with an inner raging fire. The intensity of his inner aggression filtered through to his eyes as it began to illuminate the alleyway.

"People like you make me sick. All of you criminals are alike. Disregard for others, no respect for the law, and selfishness that clouds every waking moment of your lives." Ace began to walk towards the figure with heated fury in his eyes. "Enjoy being behind bars." With one final utterance, Ace unleashed his most devastating laser attack ever unleashed. The man smirked with a wicked grin as the laser fast approached. With a result that stunned Ace, his attack went right through what seemed like a hologram. Blinded by rage, Ace had forgotten that missing this shot would put Rev in the line of fire. Wide-eyed with fear, Ace could only watch the beam as he called out to his friend.

"Rev!"

Rev was watching the whole thing before Ace exploded with unprecedented anger. He was fearful for what this man was doing to his friend. He'd never known Ace to be that temperamental, especially during a mission. However, things took a turn for the worst when Rev looked dead-eyed on the beam attack. With only a split second, Rev quickly tried to evade the piercing shot. Unfortunately, the beam struck the ground before Rev could speed away safely and was caught in the blast.

"Ahhhhh!" Rev was blown away by the strike and sent hurling towards the building behind him. Ace just stood there, frozen in time. One careless mistake almost cost his friend his life. The mental anguish that began to stir made him forget about the enemy. And with another careless mistake, Ace suddenly realized his predicament.

"Such a temper…" The hacker spoke, quietly mocking him. The distraction with Ace's attack had him positioned right behind Ace. Beating himself mentally, Ace stood nervously as he waited for an attack to strike him. "Someone could get… hurt."

"I don't think so smart guy." Ace brightened as he recognized that unwitting remark. Duck had followed orders perfectly and quacked right behind the hacker. "I think you need to go to sleep." Duck wound his punch and shot his fist toward the man's head. And yet again with that evil smile, Duck's attempted assault went right through the hologram-like projection. Ace didn't know what happened, but only felt a sudden impact that led to a blissful fall into darkness. Duck had struck his unintended mark and punched Ace right in the back of his head. "Ahh!" Duck yelped with guilt. "Chief! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" With another distraction created, the man appeared behind Duck just as he had done with Ace. However, this time… he was real.

"Bad aim…" Ducks eyes grew wide with fear as he blacked out with a swift jab to his back.

-----

Tech continued to stare blankly as he peered into the sky. A faintly visible speck caught his eye as it plunged towards the earth. The dummy continued to plummet from the sudden violent burst of speed given by Tech into the air. As though being drawn towards the object, Tech continued to stare as it finally met the horizon. Questions raced through his mind, more so than usual. First it was the strange pain he felt back at the tower, now the bomb that was about to explode didn't. Could it have possibly been a fake? A proxy of a dummy? Tech recounted over and over the events that took place. Everything seemed to exhibit an eerie feeling. And as if on cue, the pain he felt from before shot through his body. Tech clutched his arms as they felt born of molten fire. The searing pain was much more intense, but this reoccurring pain stopped sooner.

"Huh.. huh… huh… what's happening to me?"

Tending to Lexi, Slam tried to awaken his falling comrade. Unfortunately, the only signs Lexi was giving only came out in brief spasms and moans. Slam began to grow anxious and wondered if Tech managed to disable the bomb. Gently grabbing Lexi into his arms, Slam carried her outside as he noticed Tech crouched on the ground. He hurried to his side, fearing for his friend's well-being as. Tech continued to stare into the ground not even noticing Slam rushing to his side, as he was flushed with sweat.

"Eh eh!" blurted Slam as he nudged Tech with Lexi in hand.

"I-I'm alright Slam…" Tech unnervingly said as he tried once again to recover from the unusual affliction. Noticing Lexi in Slam's arms, his concerns were displaced toward concern for Lexi. "Is she all right?" Slam only shrugged with a worried face as he too stared at Lexi's limp body.

"This isn't good. We'd better take her back to HQ. She might have a severe burn judging from the blast of the laser. Slam, can you please turn her over?" Slam nodded and gently turned Lexi onto her front side. Tech began to examine the marks left on her body from the laser. From what was presented, the laser looked to be more of a blast charge than a shot. The wide radius of the burn indicated a non-conventional weapon that wasn't offered to the general public. Fortunately for Lexi, the burns weren't as deep as they could have been but still caused considerable damage to her fur and skin tissue.

"Thank goodness it's nothing serious, but we'll have to treat her quickly before there's an infection." Tech flipped his backpack onto the ground and quickly searched for his first aid kit. Even though gifted with super powers, Tech thought it better to be safe than sorry if anyone on the team were to be injured during a mission. "In the mean time, Slam? Can you retrieve the dummy I launched over there," Tech asked as he pointed toward the direction of the robot. "Something strange is going on and I need it to figure this out." Slam immediately complied as he turned into tornado mode and ran after the discarded dummy. Finally grabbing the kit from among his other gadgets, he quickly applied a salve to the burns. Lexi immediately grimaced from the burning sensations as Tech slowly rubbed the salve. "Hang in there Lexi, this should only take a minute." Tech grabbed the bandages and applied them to cover her wounds. All the while, Lexi groaned from the extra pressure and attention given to her wounds.

"Well, I'm glad that's over." Tech began trying to get everything back into his kit, when Lexi started to stir from a painful slumber. She slowly opened her eyes as flashes of events that led to her black out raced through her mind. "T-Tech…" Tech perked his ears as he heard Lexi's voice. He turned and was happy to see her conscious again. "Lexi. You shouldn't move. You have severe burns that need to be properly treated."

"Tech… what happened?"

"You were shot by a powerful electromagnetic discharge." Lexi smiled as best she could from the pain in her back as she tried to speak to the coyote. "Tech… English please?"

"Oh, sorry…" Tech shyly said. "You were hit by a laser blast from behind by the hacker. Ace, Rev, and Duck are after them right now."

"Where's Slam?"

"He should be coming back pretty soon. The bomb that was set to go off didn't explode so I asked Slam to get it so I could examine it."

"What bomb?" Tech suddenly remembered that Lexi was knocked out before the hacker revealed the nature of the dummy. Knocking himself on the head a bit, Tech replied considerately with the foreknowledge. "Oh sorry again… the dummy that you, Ace, and I had mistaken for the hacker was actually a time bomb. Although, it didn't explode so it must have been a proxy."

"How long have I been out?"

"You weren't out for long. Maybe only a few minutes. You certainly seem to have incredible stamina from being a gymnast because that blast was more dangerous than a normal laser shot." Lexi smiled softly at Tech for the compliment. He had always been a sweet and kind-hearted guy. She was continually amazed, day to day of Tech's uninhibited responses of compassion and sincerity. Lexi slowly moved her arm to gently grasp Tech's hand. He took notice and looked into her shimmering green eyes. With a slight tear running down her cheek and a faint smile, Lexi breathed her last words before falling back into unconsciousness.

"Thanks… Tech…" Lexi whispered as she finally collapsed from the energy consumed by her body to relieve the pain. Tech slowly, but firmly held her hand with both of his. Suddenly a flashback flew through his mind's eye. A body lain on the floor. Tech was taken aback from the mental image and a lone tear ran down from his stern, fixed eyes. "Lexi… hold on." Slam soon returned with the mangled mannequin and dropped it next to Tech. Looking back and forth between Lexi and Tech, he noticed that something happened. "Eh bleah uh?"

"Slam… Lexi's out cold for now, but she'll have to get back home soon." Tech slowly raised Lexi and placed her in Slam's arms. "You go back to HQ and take Lexi into the infirmary. I'll go after Ace and the others." Slam nodded solemnly as he began to leave. "Don't forget this." Tech grabbed the robot on the floor and tossed it onto Slam's back. Tech reached for his backpack and ran off to find Ace and the others.

------

The man stood there as he landed a finishing blow. Duck was in shock as he soon fell to the ground in a heap next to Ace. The man smiled as he looked on at the fallen heroes. "… pathetic." The man turned to walk away, but was suddenly taken by surprise. Rev recovered quickly from the little skirmish and at a high speed, struck the man from behind.

_Thunk!_

With all the inertia created by Rev, the man was violently projected by a couple meters. However, the man would have flown farther, but seemed to be of metal as Rev soon discovered while shaking his hand furiously. "Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!-What-in-the-world-are-you-made-of?-lead?-Geez-That-really-hurt!" The man slowly regained his stance and turned to face his speedy attacker.

"I applaud you for catching me off-guard. Let me show you my gratitude."

"Oh-no-thanks-that's-okay-I'd-rather-not-have-your-gratitude." The man went into his trench coat and pulled out a metallic ball. It was the size of a soft ball with tiny porous openings covering the entire surface area. He raised his arm intending to throw it when Rev spoke. "Are-you-telling-me-your-resorting-to-throwing-stuff?-Some-genius-you-are-I-can-dodge-that-easily.-heh-I-expected-better." The man gave his evil grin as he readied to the device.

"And I expect you to squirm."

The man launched the ball towards the roadrunner, but Rev dodged it easily with a quick sidestep. "Whad-I-tell-ya?" The man quickly pressed something in his palm as the metallic ball simultaneously froze and hovered in mid-air. The ball began to spin and accelerate within a couple seconds. As the ball spun, water escaped through the porous outer shell and sprayed Rev. Rev was taken aback when he suddenly felt water droplets hit his feathers from behind. Rev saw the man grin for the last time as he pressed another button. The ball unleashed a high voltage of electricity as the malicious purpose for the water was soon revealed.

"Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Tech's ears shifted as he heard his friend's ear-piercing scream. "Rev!" Tech ran double time as he soon reached the alley. Upon spotting the entrance, the glow from the electricity still emanated as Tech caught a glimpse of the man's sadistic smile. Suddenly, he disappeared and left the scene with Tech's friends crumpled on the floor. But to his horror, the effects of the metallic ball still affected Rev as Tech watched his friend continue to be electrocuted. "Reeeeeev!" Tech immediately unleashed his powers to try and remove the floating ball away from his friend. But instead of having the intended effect, the ball suddenly stopped and fell to the floor. Rev fell onto his knees as he spotted Tech. "… T-Tech…" Then from exhaustion, Rev shut his eyes as he fell forward onto the floor.

"Rev!" Tech frantically rushed to his teammates' side. He took Rev's pulse to see if the electrocution didn't interfere with his basal functions. He sighed with relief as Rev's heart still beat, but with a faint pulse. Tech's eyes began to water as he continued to examine Ace and Duck. With all that has happened, Tech felt as if his world was crumbling. This new menace defeated three off his friends alone. Tech shook from the coldness of the air, but also from the thought of that man. He left a sharp and crisp mental image in his mind. Tech felt overcome with grief as the scene played again and again in his mind. But he couldn't get distracted now. His friends needed him and he must be there for them. Tech began to take out several pieces of thin malleable sheet metal and placed each of his friends on one of them. Getting his jet pack ready, Tech focused and used his magnetic abilities to transport his friends back home. Though his friends were alive, his tear stained cheeks were never given a chance to dry as he flew back home.

"Hold on guys…… hold on…"

------

"Hey Teeech, I need some more cereal."

"I'll be right there Duck, just quit your griping." The next morning brought moans and groans from the headaches and pains. Since Slam and Tech were the only ones who weren't injured from the fight the night before, both were busy trying to meet the needs of their friends (mainly Duck's). Slam had some difficulty handling all the orders, while Tech was busy trying to attend to everyone's conditions. However, Tech couldn't help but comply to his ailing friend's request when he himself did nothing in the battle.

From all the injuries sustained, the Loonatics would be slightly out of commission for a little while. Tech went into the long hours of the night trying to properly treat the team. Ace only had a minor head trauma caused from Duck's misguided punch. The injury wasn't as bad as it seemed however. A slight bruise and swelling combined with a headache was the worst of his afflictions. "Ahhh…" Ace flinched as he slowly placed a new bag of ice on the back of his head. "That really hurt Duck. Whad' ya do? Hit me with a brick?"

"I already said I was sorry. Be glad I didn't intend to kill him. Besides, your not the one who's back is broken." No one could argue with Duck on that statement. The man had hit him in the center of his spine and almost caused a slip disk. Tech had to adjust his posture and slightly add pressure to move his vertebrae back into place. The experience was quite painful and Duck still shivered just thinking about it. Ice was also placed along his back as he laid front forward, watching TV.

Lexi was fairing a bit better than the others, but the burns still remained. Once she regained consciousness that morning, she already had her feisty attitude back with a vengeance. "That guy is gonna pay for what he did to me! If this leaves a mark, I'm gonna personally strangle him all the way to jail!" The others were glad that Lexi wasn't brought down by her current condition, but encouraged her to take it easy for now. "There, there Lexi calm down," Tech tried as he might to settle the restless bunny down. "You'll have plenty of time to get him back, but you're lucky he didn't do much worse. If he had increased the intensity, the blast could have penetrated through your subcutaneous membrane and damaged your spine." Tech finished with the blender as he poured the contents into a tall glass.

"Tech…" Lexi asked. "How's he doing?"

"He's alright. He'll make a full recovery soon." Tech turned his back and walked toward the hallway to the infirmary. As always being alone with his thoughts, Tech's memory raced back to last night. That smile. That evil sadistic smile. It haunted his mind. Though it was only a quick glance, he could never forget. That face morphing into the agonizing expression of Rev's face, being electrocuted. Anger burned within in him. Never will he allow his friends to be put through such torment, ever. It was one of the convictions he continued to hold onto.

Opening the door quietly, Tech peered into the infirmary to check on Rev. He had still lied in bed, very still since last night. Tech slipped in as he thought how much Rev went through. The experience might have taken a harder toll on his body than Tech previously thought. Rev's fast metabolism and energy should have had him at least conscious by now. Tech set the glass down as he began to become slightly worried until he noticed something peculiar. Rev's cheeks seemed to be slightly bloated the last time Tech came in. Upon closer inspection, Tech soon received a most sudden surprise.

_Goosh!_

"Ahhhh! Rev!"

"Hahahahaha!-Got-ya-Tech!" Rev was laughing his head off at the expense of the wet coyote. Tech couldn't have imagined a more ostentatious recovery than he received from Rev. He couldn't help but laugh along with his dear friend.

"You sneaky bird! You were faking being asleep!"

"Hahahaha-Didn't-think-I'd-be-up-this-way-did-ya?-Man-you-should-have-seen-your-face-it-was-priceless!-I-knew-your-keen-eye-would-get-you-closer-for-the-perfect-shot." Rev continued to wriggle in his bed with excitement from the long night. "So that was it. You put that water in your mouth to bloat your cheeks so I would notice." Rev continued to laugh as he nodded in agreement. Tech's stress was completely lifted with this new turn of events. Rev was always there to give a witty comment and trivialize even the most dire of circumstances. Tech was so happy Rev was back to bring laughter to the team. It had been studied that laughter was a supplemental cure for almost all ailments and resulted in a healthier life. Tech couldn't agree more.

"Settle down Rev," Tech continued to chuckle as the bed continued to shake. "You've been through a lot so you're going to need to rest for a bit." Rev quieted slightly, but mostly didn't heed his wise friend's advice.

"Awww-I-don't-wanna-I've-been-couped-up-here-in-bed-all-night-and-morning.-Can't-I-get-some-excersize-Tech?" His energy never ceases, and neither did his enthusiasm. "No, you have to stay in bed, but don't worry. You should be able to be up and about by tomorrow."

"What?-A-whole-day?-You-gotta-be-kidding-me?" Rev continued to whine. Tech sees this was going nowhere fast and decided to do something to calm him down.

"Relax, relax. I've brought something that might cheer you up." Tech handed the glass to Rev as his eyes began to shine.

"Tech-Tech-Tech!-Is-this-my-super-duper-pick-me-up-energy-shake?"

"Yup. I thought this might lighten your mood, considering its your favorite beverage for the morning. I sampled some you saved and analyzed it for the ingredients."

"Oh-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-Tech!-Your-the-coolest-person-I-know." Rev began to greedily drink the concoction as he savored his favorite drink. "Wow-this-is-amazing-Tech-Though-it-needs-a-bit-more-oranges-and-you-might-want-to-add-a-pinch-of-salt-but-man-this-is-close-to…" Rev froze as his rapid speech stopped in mid-sentence. He turned to Tech and saw him grinning mischievously.

"Hey!-Why-are-you-giving-me-my-super-duper-pick-me-up-energy-shake-when-you-want-me-to-calm-down-Tech?-Tech?" Tech continued to smile as he made his reply.

"I simply wanted to give you something you like so you wouldn't feel like you were stuck in bed for so long. Besides, a good panacea is being happy." Rev didn't believe one word Tech said and glared at him intently.

"Oh-no-you-don't!-You're-not-gonna-talk-your-way-out-of-this-one.-What-did-you-put-in-here?-Huh-huh-huh?" Tech finally conceded to Rev for discovering his true plot.

"Alright, you got me Rev. I added some vitamin supplements so that your body would be able to recover faster." Rev was surprised to hear this response. He was certain Tech would have put something in his shake that he wouldn't want without his approval. "Really?"

"Yup… and a mild-sedative," Tech murmured quietly.

"What?" Rev yelled in surprise from quickly picking up on those whispered words. "I-knew-it-I-knew-it-It-was-too-good-to-be-true!-Tech,-you-fiend!" Rev squirmed and squirmed, while Tech smiled playfully. "You're going to be fine Rev. Calming down isn't gonna kill you is it?"

"It-will-if-it-was-induced-by-you!" Rev protested. "I'm-going-to-get-you-for this Tech!" Rev's speech began to slow as he spoke normally. "No! It's happening already? What kind of sedatives were those?"

"Oh, you like them? I made them myself. Fast acting, fast relief for all that extra energy." Tech happily chirped.

"You, you won't get away with this."

"Oh don't worry Rev. It's just enough to get you through the day. And as I said, it's mild. Besides, with your hyperactive body, you won't be able to stay in bed for more than a few hours." Rev pouted as he finally conceded defeat to Tech's clever tactics. "Fine! But mark my words, your day will come Tech!"

"Yes, yes, I know." Tech said calmly. After getting Rev settled down, he began to activate the anti-gravity capabilities of the bed. Rev quickly took notice and grew even more suspicious. "Hey! What are you doing now?"

"Relax Rev. I'm taking you to the others because we'll be discussing about how to deal with… the new threat." Rev immediately brightened by this news. "Alright! It's time we figured something out to defeat that jerk for shocking me silly."

"Well that's putting it mildly."

"Hey watch it you! I'm still going to plot my revenge against you once we've dealt with this guy."

"Of course." Tech simply stated as he pushed the bed through the doorway. Tech and Rev soon arrived in their breakfast lounge, being greeted with cheerful cries.

"Rev, you're all right!" Lexi shouted as she and Slam came over to see him. "Of course I am. I can't be taken out that easily." Rev proudly stated. But at the same time, everyone was surprised when Rev spoke for the first time since last night.

"Rev?" Duck began to ask questioningly, "What happened to your voice?"

Rev simply made an angry expression as he pointed to the culprit behind him. Tech pushed Rev's bed into a comfortable position as he sat down. "That would be my handy-work, right Rev?" Rev only stuck out his tongue at his mentioning.

"Glad to see you join the party Rev," Ace interrupted. "But now we got some serious issues to discuss." The others gathered around as best they could while Ace commenced the meeting. "The guy we faced last night isn't someone to take lightly. He perfectly ambushed us and had Lexi injured. But even with taking her out, he still managed to defeat Rev, Duck, and me by himself." Everyone nodded silently as Ace continued. "Now we know from what he has done that he can hack into high-level security networks." Ace paused as he turned to Tech with a serious eye. "You also mentioned the laser gun he used wasn't conventional. Right Tech?"

"Correct." Tech stood as he took the floor. " From what I have determined from examining the burns on Lexi's back, the weapon must have been home-made. But even I don't understand how he can make a weapon like the one that struck Lexi. Even with a laser blast, the burns shouldn't have been able to be that severe. With the mechanics I've encountered building laser weapons, it is very difficult to optimize the damage created from a laser. In principle, lasers are basically focused beams of light, that with the proper adjustments can make them dangerous. To acquire a blast charge from a laser, there needs to be an even more complex understanding in regards to detail and design. Even I have trouble implementing a blast charge laser weapon. But to demonstrate how ingenious this guy is, our suits for example have some resistance from laser weapons. The laser blast I tested on our suits using a weapon I made had completely destroyed the front side of the suit. However, the back was only partially singed. But what we've all seen from Lexi's injury, the laser blast created a significant amount of tissue damage."

Everyone grew even more quiet upon the words echoed by Tech. This seemingly ordinary hacker even had the technological whiz of the Loonatics second-guessing. Not only had he proven to be elusive in direct confrontations, but also had a comprehensive knowledge of mechanics and engineering. Upon the many mysteries already invoked by him, one question kept appearing in everyone's mind.

"Then…," Lexi quietly began, "do you think… he's another victim of the meteor?" Tech was slowly brought out of deep contemplation as he struggled to find an answer.

"… I don't know, but…" Tech paused as he assumed a firmer and more positive outlook. "I do know that once we figure a plan of action, we'll be able to figure out whether or not he was affected by the meteor."

"Yeah!" the sudden outburst from Rev shook everyone with a start. "No matter what, we'll take him down!" And there was Rev leading the team's emotional outlook. Everyone's spirits lifted as they heard a supportive motion. Not that any of them had any doubts of facing the man again, but it's always reassuring when an affirmation is spoken. Tech nodded affirming with Rev's unshakeable faith. "I agree with Rev. Once we have determined his weak spots, we'll be able to more accurately form a strategy. But first, we'll have to analyze all the data we can from the first encounter. We don't want to have any more injuries than necessary."

"Right." Ace seconded Tech's rational proposal. "So from what we've seen from the battle is that this guy can construct powerful weapons, but seems to avoid direct combat with those holograms of his. He is also clever at anticipating our moves and attacking when our guard is down. Anything else guys?"

"Oh I have one Ace!" Rev shouted as he remembered the painful experience from the previous night. "When you guys were all knocked out, I managed to land a high-speed punch on his back when he wasn't looking." Ace and Duck were immediately surprised by this report. The two of them had been unable to get anywhere near him and Rev managed to make a surprise attack when this man seemingly had the advantage of predicting their moves. "How did you do that?" Duck asked with his mouth agape. "I wasn't even there when you guys cornered that sadistic freak, but he still managed to avoid my attack."

With this new information, Tech grew more intrigued by the minute. Apparently a lot of things happened while he was with Slam and Lexi. Ace and Duck mentioned to him earlier that morning about how he always seemed to one step ahead of them. However, with the events Rev disclosed revealed a very interesting aspect. Using only a simple construction of psychological profiling, it dawned on Tech that this man had a superiority complex. Judging from his pervasive whereabouts, one strike finishes, and sadistic nature, this man's Achilles' heel was his over-confidence. That must have been it. Tech now knew how to exploit him and eagerly waited to share this new development when he froze at Rev's words.

"Aww, it wasn't too hard, but you should be glad you didn't. When I punched him it felt like hitting solid lead."

--------------------------

"_Oh! I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"_

"_No it's okay, don't worry about it. Besides, it's not like that could have broken my back. Some bullies back in high school said it felt like hitting solid lead."_

_--------------------------_

The flash back came hard and fast. Tech was stunned into submission by those replay of words. His pulse raced as this new information arose from Rev's depiction. He couldn't believe it. Almost spontaneously, Tech quickly asked a question to disprove his assumption. "Rev, where did you hit him?" The sudden rise of curiosity sparked interest in the others as they noticed the coyote's frightened face. Caught off-guard by the question, Rev stuttered as he peered into wide-eyed realization. "… uh-uh I think I hit him near his right side." Tech breathed a sigh of relief as his theory was not confirmed.

"Tech? What's the matter?" Ace asked. "Something catch your attention?"

"N-no. I was just imagining things." Had he been correct, Tech would never be able to fathom of how it could happen. It was impossible. How could he have let that evil man's peculiarity desecrate his fond memories? An internal punishment began to be waged inside his heart. He never wants the past to become an occurrence in his future, never. He steadied his unsettling thoughts as he shoved them from preoccupation. "…That is something we can use." The others waited in anticipation for Tech's insight as he continued.

"Since Rev managed to hit him, it at least indicates that he is vulnerable to error. And from what Rev tells us, this man can't be any ordinary person. The man must be some kind of android or cyborg if I had to guess."

"But Tech," Duck asked with uncertainty. "How did you come to that conclusion? Couldn't he have just worn armor or something?"

"I'd agree with you, but it is very unlikely. With Rev's speed, the impact of his attack would have bent any armor. However, it wasn't, right Rev?"

"Nope. It was really solid, like he was made of metal or something"

"Exactly. We can safely assume that he has been bioengineered with a mechanical body. From the conclusions we made earlier about his ingenuity, he would most likely be dependent on technology. Thus we can rule out the possibility of him being a super-human from the effects of the meteor."

"Oh, so then we could defeat him if we disable his technology, right?" Ace reasoned.

"That would certainly guarantee an easier time of defeating him, if nothing else."

The prospects of exploiting this weakness was entertained in the thoughts of the Loonatics, but was considered more seriously by Lexi. The night before, Tech had mentioned about a bomb that was part of the dummy. If this android/cyborg was technologically dependent, he would probably be more careful about making such things as destructive as a bomb. Even though Tech said it might have been a fake, it was something strange that siphoned her attention.

"What about the bomb Tech? Was it really a fake?"

In all the high spirits, Tech completely forgot about the dummy he examined. He surprised even himself that he didn't address such an interesting oddity he discovered. "Oh, thank you Lexi. I completely forgot."

"The bomb?" Rev and Duck wondered in the dark.

"Oh, I thought Ace mentioned it to you Duck?"

"Yeah right. Like he'd mention anything to me." Duck sarcastically sneered at the leader. "Heh. Sorry 'bout that. Guess I sorta forgot too."

"Yippee, let's hear it for absentmindedness."

"Anyway…" Tech spoke, trying to get their attention. "The bomb I had Slam bring back actually was designed to explode at a specific time. The odd thing was that it failed to detonate. When you guys were asleep, I examined the dummy and found that the electrical circuitry was completely disrupted. In simple terms, something tampered with the detonation sequence and completely erased the original settings."

"Then do you know what tampered with it?" Lexi asked eagerly.

Tech had thought about that very same question throughout the entire night. Like an itch he couldn't reach, Tech couldn't sleep with this unknown variable floating around in his head. Even when he returned to re-examine the dummy, the wiring revealed nothing. There were no clues, seemingly no reason to why the short-circuit occurred. He recounted what happened the night before and stumbled upon something that was right in front of his nose: his powers. That was the only untested variable. Although at the time, Tech thought of it as very unlikely when the assessment was made. However, as night neared dawn, it was the only possible explanation. The bomb was very well made and had a fail safe to prevent tampering. Tech also found that the dummy had been made to insulate the bomb from any magnetic interference. The reasons for such precautions were obvious, but then that would cause all leads to reach a dead end.

With no other options, Tech had to simulate the events in his mind to make solid grounds for a theory to have any basis. He remembered that the bomb was counting down below 10 seconds when he had to resort to launching it into the air. The violent handling could not have caused the electrical disruption for even the rough landing had not managed to damage any of the components. Therefore, the only thing that could have possibly affected the bomb was when he unleashed his powers. Thinking again of how the action was executed and performed, Tech noticed a significant difference. Normally his magnetism would surround the object. However, that time he shot somewhat of a pulse that propelled the dummy even further. And that was what struck the answer.

"… I think… I did."

The team was perplexed by Tech's response. Why was he questioning what tampered with the bomb if he was the one that did it? His teammates became worried if Tech was overworked, so Lexi decided to pose a question. "Umm… Tech? I don't mean to be sarcastic, but if you were the one who tampered with it, then why are you marking this discovery as odd?"

"… I think my powers might be mutating." Now that really was a surprise. The team was entirely perplexed by Tech's statements. They have had their powers for over a year and no mutation had ever happened to them. So why were Tech's abilities changing?

"Wait a sec," Ace stared in confusion. "Your powers are mutating? What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. I discovered this morning that my powers are responsible for the electrical disruption of the bomb. At first I was very skeptical, but it turns out that I am able to generate my own miniature EMP." Even with such exciting news such as this, the effect was dampened when most of the team, excluding Rev, had looks of more confusion. Tech sighed as he explained. "An electromagnetic pulse. It temporarily disrupts all electrical systems from functioning."

"Woah! That's so cool Tech," Lexi chimed. "Yeah, I can't imagine what we'd ever do without it." Duck making his usual smart comment.

"Oh put a sock in it Duck," Rev countered. "That new powers of yours will be really handy against this android, right Tech? Can you please show us? Can you, can you, can you?" Rev continued to plead unceasingly as Tech would always relent to Rev's undeniable curiosity. "Okay, okay." Tech grabbed the remote for the TV and turned it on. He focused energy into his hands and abruptly unleashed a glowing green pulse. The moment the ball of energy hit the screen, the impact disbursed the energy of the pulse and effectively shorted the TV.

"Wow! That's amazing!" everyone awed in unison.

"Yes it is, but I still don't fully understand how this new power developed. I can only make one general assumption that seems to most accurately explain this phenomena."

"What would that be Tech?" Ace asked.

"Well… everyone has internal electricity that flows through their body. This electrical flow is one reason why we have a steady heart beat and how signals are transmitted in the brain and through our nerves. Since my powers deal with magnetic manipulation, the natural electrical current that runs through my body must have interacted with my magnetic capabilities. However, this theory still leaves one question unanswered. After having these powers for over a year, why have they finally decided to interact with my body's electrical flow now?"

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon Tech-but-man-this-will-take-that-android/cyborg-or-whatever-down!" Tech was pulled out of thought when he noticed Rev's speech patterns. The realization was clearly expressed on his face as the others turned towards Rev. Rev only stared with confusion when the attention was suddenly placed in his direction.

"H-hey-what's-everybody-looking-at?"

"Rev, your speaking normally again," Lexi said

"Normal for him anyway." Rev digested what his friend's were saying and it finally dawned on him that Tech's sedatives wore off.

"No-way!-Ha!-Looks-like-I'll-be-off-the-sedatives-faster-than-you-expected-Tech!" Tech conceded as his sedatives failed to contain the roadrunner. "I must have made a miscalculation. Your metabolism must have increased significantly to recover from the strain placed on your body. The sedatives must have traveled through your body faster than it can absorb the sedatives." Tech just sighed and waved his hands in the air. "I guess I won't be tricking you any more today." Rev smiled triumphantly as he beamed with conquest over the genius. The others laughed as this scene unfolded between to seeming rivals. Suddenly, the alarm went off as it signaled an urgent message from Zadavia.

"Oh great. Just what we need." Ace and the others turned around to the holographic projection.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this update took so long. I had major bouts of tests and a bad case of procrastination during spring break. Watching 176 episodes of Naruto certainly makes time fly by really fast. But also, it gave me some inspiration as well. Kiba, Gaara, and Shikumaru have become my favorite characters. All of them have very emotional and touching stories.

Anyway, a big battle scene ensues and some questions arise from this chapter that will be further developed in later chapters. But I would also like to thank IppikiOokami no Kage for some stimulating conversations. She has helped me force myself to shed some light and do a little research for some up and coming stories as well as ideas for this one.

I had most of this chapter done, but never had the time to get around to finishing it up. So taking this opportunity to procrastinate a little longer on my school work, here it is.

Hope everyone enjoys!

Loonatics Unleashed © WarnerBros.

* * *

"Yo Zadavia, do you think it can wait? I think we'll be a little short-handed."

The mysterious woman appeared from her enshrined holographic image as she witnessed an astonishing sight. "Loonatics? What has happened to you?" Everyone was rather embarrassed to mention their encounter last night and it was up to Ace as leader to report the troublesome news. "Umm… the hacker you asked us to go after… kinda kicked our butts." Zadavia was simply amazed at Ace's words. The powerful force of Amcetropolis' defenders was defeat by one man. "Please tell me you're joking Ace? You were all defeated by one person?"

"Actually…" Lexi stepped in, "he's no ordinary person. Tech says he might be an android or a cyborg."

"I see…" Zadavia said as she pondered this new information. "But even a lone android shouldn't have been able to defeat all of you alone. In any case, you'll need to find out who or what this android is and why it hacked into the news networks at a later date. You are needed now."

"Alright Zadavia, what's the mission." Ace asked unquestioningly.

"Someone has broken into the Acme Institute. We're not sure what they're after, but you must apprehend the thief before he escapes."

"You got it Zadavia."

"Thank you Loonatics. Zadavia out." The transmission ended, but questions arose from the team. To be frank, the others wondered what Ace was thinking. Lexi, Duck, and Rev were still recovering from their injuries and needed time before they were ready to fight. As of then, the team was cut in half. "Ace!" Tech cried out. "What are you thinking? Lexi, Duck, and Rev aren't in any condition to fight right now." Being the stubborn and fearless leader that he was, Ace explained his seemingly brash decision.

"Don't worry Tech, we'll be able to handle him. Lexi, Duck, and Rev will stay behind while you, me, and Slam will go after the thief. It's still three against one."

Duck coughed and countered Ace's reasoning. "Oh yeah that'll work, a lot of good it did us last night." Ace turned to give the smart-mouthed fowl a dirty look. Ace sometimes wondered why Duck couldn't keep his comments to himself. Though he knew Duck didn't mean anything by it, Ace didn't want to give another reason for Tech to worry. And in any case, they couldn't just very well stay put and let the thief get away without a fight. What would be the point of this team? Even if the chips were down, that doesn't give them excuse to neglect their duties. Ace turned back to Tech and tried to reassure him.

"Listen Tech, it'll be alright. Even if we don't have everyone with us, we still have your weapons to back us up right?"

"… I suppose."

"That's the spirit. And besides, whatever this guy plans to steal it'll be useless with your new EMP powers." Even though the thought was somewhat reassuring, Tech hesitated about Ace's double-edged reasoning.

Though the EMP is useful for a mission such as this, Tech neglected to mention the side-effects of using it. Since it incorporated some of his internal electrical energy, using the EMP would drain his own strength in the process. Such a technicality didn't come to mind until he tried it himself for the first time. Last night, he didn't realize the consequences of using the EMP during his first experimental trial. He had consumed a lot of energy and nearly collapsed from unleashing one pulse. Controlling the amount of energy in the pulse was also a very difficult thing to do. The only reason Tech didn't collapse when using it as a demonstration to the others was because he held back energy to prevent any noticeable difference in his posture.

Yet after recovering from the seemingly first initial use, this prompted him to question why he wasn't exhausted after using it before, as an accident. Then again, there might have been another side-effect besides the listlessness. That sharp burning pain he felt afterwards… could that be the result of using the EMP? But then that wouldn't explain why it had occurred to him back at the tower before he first used it. The burning pain possibly could not have been a factor. Perhaps it could be the result from his own body's chemical stimulants. Reviewing his past class in personal health, Tech read an article once on the effects of extreme distress. The brain sends signals to increase the production of epinephrine otherwise known as adrenaline, to help give a boost of energy. Maybe that was the explanation.

But whatever the reason, Tech didn't want to admit this side-effect because it would cause his friends to worry unnecessarily. Whether or not it would cause him harm didn't matter. He just couldn't bear to see his friends in this condition again. Not after last night.

"… I guess you're right Ace."

"Great. Are you with us too Slam?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh!" Slam nodded vigorously. Lexi and Rev sat there fidgeting with all the encouraging pep talk. Not only did they feel better, but they were itching to get back onto the field of battle. Having this type of conversation being held in front of them wasn't making it any better.

"Man-I-want-to-go-I-want-to-go!-Please-Ace-can-I-go?-I'm-feeling-better-every-second-so-every-second-it-takes-to-get-there-will-make-me-feel-better-and-better!"

"Yeah, can't we go Ace?" Lexi pleaded. "I'm hardly feeling the burns anymore now, and you heard Rev. Come on Ace. We'll die if we stay here in boredsville."

"Sorry guys," Ace smiled. "But you heard Tech. The more you guys rest, the faster you'll fully recover. Don't worry, we won't be gone long enough to let you guys die here of boredom."

"Speak for yourself," quipped Duck. "Boredom's already got me. Thanks to the genius over there, the TV's on the fritz."

"Be glad I didn't use your stereo for the demonstration Duck." Tech replied back, gathering enough motivation from the others to feel like his old self again. "Well, alright." Lexi conceded. "But you guys better tell us what happened, okay?"

"No problem Lex." Ace said as he ran to the equipment room, signaling Tech and Slam. "Come on guys, we have a thief to catch red-handed." Tech and Slam followed suit as they readied themselves. "Eh, sorry 'bout the delays Tech. Looks like you'll have to postpone building your new upgrades." Ace remarked nonchalantly, trying to ease Tech's tension.

"That's alright. Our jet-pack's maneuverability won't do much with a mission situated on the ground." Ace was grateful to hear an objective observation from Tech again. Usually when Tech was quiet signals Ace to start worrying. Fortunately, Tech was back to his old self, or so he thought for the most part. "So what new toys can we use today Tech?"

"Well, there are a few that need some field testing, but have worked great so far in the lab." Tech activated a control panel and punched in his own special codes to unlock a revolving wall. As the wall spun to a stop, a multitude of weapons were displayed while Ace was staring at all the new pieces of weaponry. "Tech, you've been holding out on us." Tech smiled and grabbed a nearby weapon needed for accurate testing.

"Like I said, some of them need to be tested, but I think this baby will do the job." Tech held out a gun that slightly resembled a pistol. It was larger than an ordinary laser weapon and had an extended double-barrel. It glowed with a bluish grey metallic shine and felt cold to the touch. Ace handled the weapon and realized that it was not only colder than a normal gun, but was heavier than it appeared to be. "Eh, what does this thing do anyway Tech?"

"I thought you'd never ask." as Tech began to explain the mechanics of one of his latest weapons. "That is a specialized gun designed to literally freeze enemies in their tracks. It combines a complex system of water and liquid nitrogen, but the principle is very basic. This weapon uses burst firing to deliver 2 shots per second, but they aren't fired simultaneously. The first shot strikes the enemy and quickly releases water vapor to surround them. The second shot that comes about 3 milliseconds later unleashes a splash of liquid nitrogen. The end result has the enemy covered in a thin, yet paralyzing sheet of ice. I call it the LN2 Ice Cloud ."

"Wow Tech! You really out did yourself this time. I can't wait to try it out and make a popsicle for the police. But what's with the name?"

"I chose Cloud because that is the basic result of the water vapor. Ice stems directly from the LN2. Liquid Nitrogen's chemical formula is N with a subscripted 2. However, since it naturally occurs as a diatomic molecule in gas form, liquid nitrogen is created by the distillation of liquid air. Liquid air is created by compressing and cooling air into a liquid form and thusly creates liquid nitrogen. But…," Tech paused with a sheepish grin, "there's just one problem." Ace reared his head as Tech continued his explanation. "As I've said, this weapon still needs a field test. The lab tests I performed on it was what I anticipated, however there was also an unexpected reaction. The heat source has a slight chance of being extinguished."

"Wait a second? What heat source? This thing doesn't feel hot at all, in fact it's slightly warmer than an ice cube."

"Very good observation Ace. Sometimes the water vapor will condense and return in the form of water. Since water in liquid form can't cover the amount of area as quickly as its gaseous counterpart, the enemy will still be able to move. However," Tech pointed out, "the enemy's maneuverability should be significantly reduced, so that may counter that negative drawback."

"Well whatever the outcome, it'll sure make our job a lot easier. Well done Tech." Tech nodded humbly as they prepared their jet packs. With a new weapon on hand ready to perform its maiden test run, the trio jettisoned from the tower and embarked on their way to Tech's old "home."

The journey was rather uneventful until their eyes sighted the gaping hole on the side of one of the buildings of the institute. Tech was surprised to see such a hole merely created by brute force, judging from the direction of the broken metal. Though the institute's outer surface was constructed mostly by highly dense concrete, the infrastructure was held by a very strong compounded metal alloy. To break a wall that strong would require a lot of force or a large mass with substantial kinetic energy.

"Whoever this guy is," Tech commented as they made their landing, "must be extremely confident trying to steal from the Institute in broad daylight."

"He probably has a huge ego to match. Come on guys." Ace remarked while he ran toward the hole. "Let's give him a nice escort to jail." Slam and Tech went after Ace as they slipped through the bruised wall. Once inside, the trio noticed that signs of entry were no longer recognizable. The building had boundless corridors that snaked through rooms like a labyrinth. "What's going on here? This guy smashes through a wall and finally decides to be polite?" Ace complained as he tried to search for traces of where the villain might have went.

"From the looks of it, whoever this guy is must have been here before." Tech quickly searched the area with an infrared scanner and stumbled upon a lying body. "I picked someone up. Quick, this way." The team went after Tech as they came across a student from the Institute. "Are you alright?" Tech asked. The woman gave a moan as she shook the effects of her dizziness from her senses. "… huh?… yes… I'm okay…" Tech took out his x-ray scanner and quickly took an analysis of her condition. "Nothing's broken so you should be alright."

"Scuse us, but do you know where we can find the guy who did this to you?" The grad student stood to her feet as she adjusted herself. "Yes… this weird man came from nowhere and attacked me before I could yell for help. I think he went that way toward the old display room."

"Thanks a bunch."

Ace and the others ran down the hallway as they came upon a broken mechanical door. Not the strongest door made, but certainly a stable one. However, more of this thief's strength was displayed as the locking mechanism was completely pulled from the wall. Ace, Tech, and Slam cautiously approached the door and peered inside to get a glimpse of their opponent. To their worst fears, the android from the night before was there. He was rummaging through the imbedded drawers and appeared to be looking for something. They drew back slowly and grouped just outside of the door to plan a strategy.

"Looks like this'll be a lot tougher than I thought." Ace whispered, trying to lighten the mood. "We'll have to avoid him as much as possible. Long-range attacks will be best if we can keep him in sight. We don't want an encore from last night." Slam and Tech nodded as they slowly peered again through the door. "Alright… we'll use Tech's new weapon to immobilize him and cut off his chance for escape. Tech?" Ace whispered as he looked at the coyote. "It's time to test out your theory. When we freeze him, use your powers to jam his body." Tech nodded slightly as they rushed through the door.

"Alright Loonatics! Fire!" Ace, Slam, and Tech instantaneously launched a volley of icy shots toward the unsuspecting villain. Almost caught by surprise, the android narrowly escaped their round of fire and deftly dodged the freezing projectiles. "Rats! We missed." The man stood slowly with that same mask over his face. Revealing only his lips, that sadistic smile came once again under that expressionless, yet vile face.

"Loonatics, what a surprise. Looks like destroying your team last night wasn't enough." Ace couldn't help becoming filled with anger from the sound of his voice. Last night might have been his downfall, if not for Duck's intervention. This time, the emotional game wasn't going to work. "It'll take a lot more than one defeat to stop us! You're not going to get away this time!" Again, the man's icy smile snubbed Ace's empty threat.

"You still don't know anything, rabbit." Ace stuck a face of disgust at the man and readied his weapon. "You keep saying I don't… then how about enlightening me!" Ace fired another round at the menacing figure, but he quickly evaded them. Using the water vapor as a thin smokescreen, the man slid out of sight behind a pillar. As soon as the liquid nitrogen crystallized the gas, Ace was filled with an odd combination of fear and frustration. Not only had he given him a chance to hide, but he also gave the opportunity for a surprise attack . "Keep a close eye out guys. He might use his holograms again."

Tech and Slam nodded silently as they waited for any movement. Tech remembered earlier that morning about his conversation with Ace. The holographic technology he was using sounded very advanced. The ability to effectively mimic life-like motion and appear solid was something that was lacking with the current technology that was out for commercial use. Fortunately, Tech prepared himself with the information given by Ace. He took out his thermal reader and scanned the surrounding area for any noticeable heat signature. Tech reasoned that even though the man may or may not be an android, machines still exhibit heat as a form of lost energy.

"Foolish Loonatics. Even without my holograms, I can still defeat you. Ha ha ha ha ha." The man walked out from behind a pillar as he stood there laughing. "There he is!" Ace shouted. "Shoot him now!" Ace and Slam aimed there weapons and were about to fire when Tech abruptly stopped them.

"No wait! He's over there!" Tech pointed the LN2 Ice Cloud toward the direction of another pillar as the man tried to rush behind it. However, before he could, Tech fired a burst at the pillar he was racing towards and slightly enveloped him in a cloud of ice. Fortunately the distraction gave enough time for Ace and Slam to reposition themselves and fire their rounds at the stunned man. The fog of ice crystals had taken him off-guard, but he saw the oncoming barrage. Though he anticipated the attack, the man wasn't quick enough and a portion of his leg became covered with ice.

"Tech! Now!" Ace yelled. Tech dropped his weapon and quickly formed the EMP in his hands. With this attack possibly being the only chance to stop this madman, Tech made the mistake of unleashing too much of his energy. The brightly green pulse streaked through the air forebodingly as it approached its target. Unable to effectively move from the line of fire, the android had only one option and fell to the ground. To the dismay of the onlookers, Tech's attack narrowly missed the man's body. "No, not again!" Ace sighed in frustration. "Why can't we catch a break with this guy?"

Tech failed to hear Ace's words as he gasped for breath. The energy he released from his body had sapped his strength and barely allowed him power to stand on his own two feet. Sounds rang in his ear and colors blurred past his eyes as every sensory input relayed meaningless messages. However, by will alone and his desire to protect his friends, Tech maintained his position as he tried to disguise his sudden fatigue. Ace and Slam still stood there in disbelief as the android slowly rose to his feet. Tech watched through hazy eyesight as the man began to emit supersonic vibrations from his frozen leg. The heat generated from this action caused the ice's crystalline structure to shatter from the man's entombed appendage. Frighteningly raising his head to greet the bemused heroes, that sickening smile rose from his lips.

"Try again."

The color drained Tech's exhausted face as he heard those words. Slam stood his ground with a defiant face to the very end along with Ace whose body shifted into a rigid stance. "Looks like we have no choice guys." Ace whispered to Slam and Tech. "We'll have to take him down directly. You both up to it?" Slam crept his rebellious smile and nodded in anticipation. Ace smiled back and turned towards Tech. Tech who had hardly managed a firm stance quickly grabbed his Ice Cloud as he noticed Ace turning to address him. With a straining look, Tech broke a faint smile as he nodded. "Alright, me and Slam will rush the android and give him a frontal assault. Tech, do ya think you could whip up another EMP blast to knock him out?"

"…(huhh, huhh)… You got it chief."

"Good. Let's use a two pronged attack from both sides. Ready big guy?" Slam nodded and took his position. "Loonatics, let's go!" Ace and Slam ran around in a semicircle toward the waiting android as he spotted their approach. Expressing that same, pompous smile the android readied himself. While running, Ace unsheathed his collapsible sword and Slam held back a fist full of fearsome power. Both Loonatics advanced on either side of the android when he made his sudden move. The man leapt up into the air with that cocky smile as Ace and Slam closed in.

Unbeknownst to the android, Ace and Slam smiled as they faced each other to what would seem as another fatal mistake. As they drew closer, Slam formed his fist into a hand and grabbed onto Ace's right arm. Using the momentum gained from their charge the duo spun into a circle, making one complete rotation. As Slam faced towards the direction he previously maintained, he swung Ace and threw him towards a pillar near the opposing wall. Using the spin created from their little maneuver, Slam spun into his tornado mode and began to spin at full speed with the android above him. Completely surprised by this stunt, the man quickly tried to avoid falling into the spinning whirlwind below. However, in doing so, Ace was able to strike him unnoticed. The launch from Slam's throw and a quick bounce from the pillar gave Ace a perfect position right above the android.

"Don't underestimate us."

The android faced up in time to see Ace's sword arching overhead with deadly force. The metal alloy clashed with the android's shoulder with a loud clank and shot him down toward the earth. Using the extra boost, Ace leapt away from the spinning tornado as Slam awaited in the center of the swirling winds. The man cursed himself for being attacked again and quickly analyzed a way to escape. Swiftly twirling in the same direction Slam was, the man used Ace's attack to create even more power from the winds. He positioned his body into a top and pierced straight down into the unsuspecting Slam. Slam never knew what struck him when the bulk traumatized his back.

The sheer weight of the android would have knocked the breath from even Slam. However, the added force rendered him completely unconscious. Hearing a loud thud along with the abrupt silence from the wind, Ace knew this was looking bad. As the dust cleared, the android was left standing atop Slam's fallen body with that same smile. Ace couldn't believe this guy. Was there no reaction other than that stupid smile? He felt the rage in him begin to take over. It threatened to gain control again, but Ace fought with all his might to contain it. The scene was overbearing and the man finally snapped Ace's last remnants of constraint.

"… heh… nice try…" said the man as he began to grind Slam's head into the ground using his foot. "What a pity."

Ace felt his eyes burn from their sockets, no longer able to hold the energy that contained them. Fury wracked every part of his being for that moment as Ace struggled to fight a losing, internal battle. The android slowly stepped off of Slam and stood before Ace.

"Are you angry?"

Ace was about to unleash his full wrath when suddenly the man's smile turned into an expression of disbelief. A brief mist surrounded him and suddenly disappeared into shards of ice. Ace stood there bewildered before the immobilized mechanical statue. He peered to the side and saw Tech holding the LN2 Ice Cloud. The fatigued coyote stood there still gasping for breath as he drew a fearsome expression.

"Don't you dare, mess with my friends."

The android was frozen upright and motionless from a direct hit from the Ice Cloud. Not a sound or stirring came from him as Ace's eyes brightened from Tech's unexpected attack. Tech gave another faint smile as he saw Ace's expression on a job well done. Those faces of relief and happiness always brought joy to Tech's heart. Ever since that incident, Tech never felt more pleasure than seeing his friends' cheerful dispositions.

"… (huhh-huhh) You okay, Ace?…" Tech managed to raise. "Never better," Ace shouted with an alleviated mind. His anger almost got to him again. If it not had been for Tech, things may have turned for the worse. "Thanks for the support Tech."

"… no (huhh) problem… Hurry and capture the android before he can escape… (huhh-huhh)… I'll go see if Slam i-……"

Cut off in mid-sentence, Tech's eyes widen in shock as he felt it… that burning pain. Ace could see his friend's horrifying expression as Tech froze before falling to the ground. What came next haunted all his senses as Ace witnessed Tech crying out in a blood-chilling scream.

"AAAHHH, AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Even before the moment he fell to the floor, Tech felt the searing heat throughout his entire body. The pain became more and more unbearable with each passing second. He tried with all his self-control to hide the pain he felt, but it was no more possible than trying to freeze a burning flame. No amount of will power could contain it. His whole body seemed to be engulfed in fire and he felt as though death were the only choice of escaping such agony. Ace witnessed in terror, his friend's mysterious ailment.

"TECH!"

Trying to rush to Tech's side, Ace was stopped cold as a feeble sound caught his attention. The cracking of ice caused him to turn and find that the android had begun to free himself from the subzero prison. Ace again and again cursed the persistence of this man for being seemingly invincible. He had to act quickly before the android was able to move again, but the cries of his friend constantly rang in his ear. But before given another moment's thought, the sheet of ice covering the android's back suddenly came loose and shattered onto the floor. Having no other option, Ace had to use his laser vision to knock him out before he recovered from the ice. Using all the energy he can muster, Ace shot a fully charged blast of his laser vision at the android's back.

"AAHHHH!"

The fiery, red beam struck the man's back as it burned through the trench coat. At first it seemed to work, but the force of the laser beam pushed the android's body forward. However, this created an angle that allowed the laser to be deflected off of the metallic back. Ace was too busy concentrating to notice this deflection as his laser beam's alternate trajectory aimed at the ceiling right above him. Behind him, Tech was still in agony and the scalding pain still lingered longer than before. He managed to pry his eyes open from the situation as he heard the android's voice shouting in pain. He peered just in time when Ace's laser vision deflected onto the ceiling.

"A-ACE! Look out!"

Hearing a new cry from his friend, Ace halted his attack. Unfortunately, the damage had been done and the ceiling began to collapse. Ace heard the rumbling from above and quickly tried to dodge away from the falling debris. Tech watched with distress as he knew Ace would never be able to escape in time without being trapped under its crushing weight. Even with his quick reflexes, the debris fell atop of Ace as he was smothered by metal and rock. The deafening crash abruptly subsided as an eerie silence took its place. Dust and stale air shrouded the scene while Tech watched motionlessly, the cruel fate of his leader. However, movement across the wreck aroused his attention while a familiar voice echoed through the haze.

"Heh… looks like the rabbit finally did himself in."

Without warning, Tech became furious from the man's remark. After having seen his friend being swallowed by man-made elements, no resounding moment of silence was left even for Ace. Filled with new founded energy, Tech dragged himself to his feet and gathered energy into his palm.

Meanwhile, the android was busy trying to free himself from the ice that covered him. He cursed his luck for having been caught off-guard again. The ice was making his metallic armor more brittle than normal and the cold temperatures threatened to freeze some of his circuitry. Another direct hit from that weapon could cripple his ability to recover from another attack. For the most part, the ice was removed from his upper body, but his legs were still paralyzed and fixed to the floor. Getting right to work on them, the android froze when hearing a menacing yell.

"Take This!"

Another green pulse shot from Tech's hand as it projected towards its target. The android turned to see Tech's attack threatening to consume him as he was unable to move away. However, Tech's fatigue worked to his advantage as the shot was slightly angled to the right. Taking this opportunity to avoid being damaged, the android swerved his body parallel to the pulse. The decreased surface area for a critical hit forced the EMP attack to slightly graze his arms and upper body. Though at such a close proximity, the android could still feel the effects of the EMP. His body grew slightly numb and control of his body became lost for a moment.

Tech gasped heavily for every labored breath. That final outburst drained him of even more energy. He fell onto the floor, wheezing like someone having an asthma attack. The pain was soon gone as he could not feel any part of his body except for his head. The android stared wide-eyed. He had no idea that Tech was capable of launching an electromagnetic pulse. It definitely was something he would keep in mind. However, the battle was over and he was victorious. As he regained movement in his limbs, he activated the sonic vibrations that shattered the ice previously, before he was interrupted by Ace. Freeing himself from that frigid trap, his malicious smile returned while slowly walking towards Tech's limp body.

Tech eyed the approaching android from the reverberating sounds of his metallic soles. Unable to put up any resistance, Tech waited for any immediate threat. The man slowly reached down and grabbed the collar of Tech's uniform. With monstrous strength residing from biomechanical engineering, he lifted Tech into the air, choking him in the process. Already past his enduring limits, Tech tried to draw deep breaths not wanting darkness to consume him. The android stood smiling ready to add insult to injury.

"I have a little question for you Tech… … What would you rather save, your friends…" The android pulled from a compartment in his trench coat a small device. From what Tech could surmise in his current state, it had to have been an explosive. "or…" the man continued as he began to tighten the collar around Tech's neck depriving him of more air, "… their trust?"

The question struck Tech to the depths of his soul. Time and time again he would always tell himself that the life of his friends were more important than his. No matter what the circumstance, Tech was ready to lay his life down for them. But… what would it mean to him if he no longer had his friends' trust?

Before given another thought, a gust of wind caught them both…

* * *

Well, that's it for chapter three. Sorry for the cliff hangers, but I just love putting these guys up. Some of you probably have formulated ideas and scenarios that surround the story so far. Keep on assuming, but please don't spoil it for other readers. I hope the plot isn't too obvious though so tell me what you think. 


	4. Chapter 4

I'm really sorry for taking this long, so please bare with another excuse. After the several other stories that flowed out, I came into another rut. However, this is a two-fold problem that still hovers over me and is waiting to cloud me again.

1) It has really been hard to get this chapter going, simply because I can't figure out how to proceed with the storyline. I've tried a number of scenarios, but they all don't seem to fit. Besides this, my wording came very inconsistent with the style and pace of this story. I suppose you can think of it as an advanced, and complex case of writer's block.

2) Now the other problem is something everyone must have felt at one point in their life: lethargy. Summer came and was a relief, but it soon became too much of a break as I became high on R and R. Trying to get myself to write must be the most difficult thing to do. For background information, fanfiction started just last September for me. To say the least, I have no experience in getting the creative juices flowing... they're just too spontaneous.

Very sorry again for the delay and for that long explanation. I'll be trying to keep the updates to a max waiting period of one month. With that in place I'll at least have some consistency, especially with the summer class I'm going to take for the next month.

But I thank everyone who has read the story so far. The encouragement certainly boosts my morale to continue and do more. And as for the reviews I've received, I'm sorry to everyone for not giving a response. Believe it or not, I'm very lazy to get on a computer for extended periods of time. However, if everyone doesn't mind looking, at the end of this chapter there will be a list of people I'm thanking and replying.

Anyway, on with the chapter!

Loonatics Unleashed © WarnerBros.

* * *

That cooling gust of wind brought back a sense of peace and tranquility to Tech. It was as if it was a reminder… a reminder of past memories. Memories that he did not want to relive and yet… memories that gave him his decision. But no matter how calming the wind was, at the same time his life was shrouded by the will of one mechanical monster. Tears stained his matted cheek fur as this may very well be his last moments on earth. With the taunting voice surrounding his own train of thought, Tech gained the almost extinguished energy he had to answer this detestable man's question.

"… (cough)… I'd rather save… their lives… (cough)… even if they betray me… I'll still hold onto my ideals… my… memories… (huhh-huhh)… because… my friends will always come first!"

The man paused for several moments and laughed hysterically at Tech's naïve words. He squeezed his collar even harder and placed two fingers behind his neck in a more forceful choking method. Tech closed his eyes as more tears filled within him. Never had he felt so much sadness in his heart. It was not only because his death may come, but that the death of Ace and Slam could soon follow. He looked down on the arm that held his life, when something caught his eye. Etched in the man's mechanical arm were a series of numbers. They looked like serial numbers, but Tech's remaining strength soon left him as guilt and frustration took hold of his mind. His consciousness slowly slipped as darkness consumed him, but not before an oddly violent tug came to him and then gently whisked him to slumber.

Rev stood to his feet as soon as he laid Tech to the floor. Ever since Ace, Slam, and Tech left, he had already made up his mind to follow them. Being a youngster at heart, listening to authority was never really his forte. However, Rev arrived and had been listening just in time when the android raised Tech off his feet. He had heard everything. Everything Tech uttered with an overburdened, yet contrite heart. His simple confession confirmed a deep conviction Rev held ever since he joined the team. He had always felt a strong sense of togetherness with the Loonatics and Ace being the leader, but never did anyone exhibit more compassion than Tech. The first instance they met, Rev knew a kind and gentle heart that far outweighed the patient and calculating persona that disguised Tech's true spirit. Though his personality seemed rather arrogant with knowledge, and childish from his inquisitive nature, he cared… deeply. Even Rev's carefree, reckless and seemingly ignorant attitude disclosed Tech's true nature. But… he alone recognized the deep and connective bonds Tech had around all the team.

Rev peered at his motionless friend before he stared at the android, blazing fire in his eyes. Anger seemed to be an issue with the members of the Loonatics, but only Ace had been afflicted by its uncontrollable fury. Rev now knew why.

"I'm sorry about your friend there, but are you going to stare at me all day or do I have to teach you another painful lesson?" the man smiled again.

Within an instant, Rev used his super speed to burn through the small distance between the android and himself. The android didn't expect such a sudden and abrupt move, but only smiled within the millisecond Rev had to reach him. Rev thrust an uppercut into the man's jaw, but flew into the air as his attack went right through him. Rev widened his eyes in fear as he dashed through the hologram. That brief moment retrieving Tech allowed the man time to switch positions. And not even given time after his moment of thought, Rev felt a hard metallic kick centered into his gut. The force from the kick made him convulse as he fell to his knees, clutching the pain that spiked in his abdomen. The breath was completely knocked from him as he knelled there in front of his attacker.

"Perhaps a lesson can no longer help... How about I simply put you out of you misery?"

A similar device that he held before Tech, he fashioned again in his palm. Rev squinted his eyes further as he braced himself for the end. Thoughts raced in his mind as he wondered if this same kind of fear and uncertainty seized Tech just moments before. With another smile, the android lifted his arm, bent on ending Rev's life.

_BOOM!_

"AAAHHHH!"

The resounding noise of the explosion echoed through the disheveled room. A body was shot forward at a frightening speed as it arched and embedded itself into the opposing wall. In his mind's eye, Rev barely felt the attack. For some reason, the pain in his gut still remained. He feared for the worst. Had the explosion been so destructive that he somehow was severed from reality and left to endure the painful end in his abdomen? Was he still alive? Rev felt that his eyes were still squinting and he was somehow able to move them. Just as he decidedly moved to reveal his condition, a sound caught his ear. It was a familiar sound. The sound... of jet packs?

"Hey Rev, are you okay!"

"Yeah. Don't tell me one kick already knocked you out. Ha, I could've taken it no problem."

"Get over yourself, Duck."

He knew those voices. Could it be? Rev opened his eyes and found himself still lying on the floor looking up to Lexi and Duck, who were landing. "G-guys!-I'm-so-glad-to-see-you!-How'd-you-know-to-come-here?"

"What are you talking about Rev? You're the one who came here when Ace told us not to."

Rev smiled. "Guilty-as-charged,-but..."

"Not another word," Lexi chuckled back. "You know we wouldn't miss the chance for payback, even if Ace said no."

"Yeah, it's about time I pay that android back for my re-adjusted spine."

Back on the far wall, the android was staring wide-eyed as he began to feel a slight paralysis on his back. The attack that was inflicted had broken through his armor and shorted some of his electrical systems below his chest. He had to escape now or he might not be able to recover from another attack. Sending the remaining energy to his crumpled back, he activated his anti-gravity device.

"... huh, huh... I've gotten, huh... too careless..."

He began to dislodge himself from the punished wall as bits and fragments of material fell from his actions. He slowly floated from the floor and attempted to make his way toward the ceiling. Before the android even made it halfway between the floor and the ceiling, a yellowish-orange orb shot past his way, striking the wall with an explosion.

"And where do you think you're going, mister chiropractor?"

The android peered across the room as he found Duck holding another orb in his hand with Lexi and the recently recovered Rev. The situation was looking very desperate for him. His legs have become significantly immobilized due to the last attack, but also because of his recovering maneuvers to free himself from Tech's accursed weapon. His body was fatigued and seemed to be running at half of its efficiency. Thinking for a solution, his own weapon caught his attention. When Lexi and Duck struck him off-guard, he had dropped the device he was going to use on Tech. The android smirked as he remembered that he still had another device in reserve.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself over."

"Can't you give that smug talk a break already!" Lexi called out with a slightly annoyed tone. "There's no way you can escape from us now!"

"On the contrary. I'll be happy to show you how wrong you are, along with a parting gift before I go."

Immediately after, the android waved his trench coat and pulled out what looked to be a hand grenade. Solving the heroes' assumption, the android threw the device onto the ceiling and exploded into a fiery blaze. The ceiling's foundation no longer could support its weakened state and collapsed. The falling pieces of fiery debris headed downward towards the unconscious Ace, Slam, and Tech.

_BOOM! RUMBLE, RUMBLE!_

"Farewell for now... Tech," the man muttered as he propelled himself through the gaping hole in the roof.

Lexi, Duck, and Rev watched in slow motion as the life threatening events unfolded. For yet again, the android managed to escape using a most vile trick. The team had to respond quickly if they wanted to save their friends. "Duck, Rev! Get them out of here!" Lexi shouted, while pointing at the unconscious teammates. "I'll try and stall the ceiling!" Without another word, Duck quacked to Ace and Slam while Rev raced over to retrieve Tech. Lexi focused and concentrated as she unleashed volley after volley of her brain blasts at the falling pieces of debris. However, Lexi's attack only seemed to shatter the falling debris into more pieces rather than eliminating them. Fortunately, Duck and Rev had gotten the others out before it was too late.

_CRASH!_

"...cough, cough... that was a little too close for comfort," Lexi commented as she choked from the excessive dust clouding the air.

"Yeah, Slam needs to lose some weight. I can barely lift him."

"Guys!-We've-got-to-get-them-outta-here-quickly!-They've-been-badly-hurt!"

"Rev's right. We've got no time to waste. We'll get that bad bot later."

-----

"_What would you rather save..., your friends… or their trust?"_

"_... their... trust..."_

(Flashback)

"Welcome, students, to the Acme Tech University."

This was the moment he had been waiting for. Ever since he received the acceptance letter to become a student at the university, Tech had remained in a perpetual state of ecstasy. He couldn't have imagined a better opportunity to expound his knowledge and broaden his mind. Since childhood, Tech's curiosity in the world around him grew at an imperceptible rate. And with each passing day, that relentlessness consumed his attention more and more. Now with all of his past efforts and natural aptitude, he was finally going to attend the most prestigious technical university in the world.

"Now I know that you are all just ready to start this new semester with enthusiasm and perseverance..." the professor began with an awkwardly cheerful tone. "However, even though we focus on the technical aspects of the world around us, let us not forget the human element that allows us to create. Now, I would like to begin this first day of class with some informal introductions. You may go around the room and speak to at least three different people. Be sure to ask what interests and motivates them. All right students, get to it!"

Tech sunk in his chair and immediately jerked at that familiar feeling. No sooner had the word "introductions" been spoken was when he anguished in remembering his childhood days. Ever since grade school, Tech received the usual remarks about his intellect and unusual curiosity in science. Besides this, he was more mature than even kids in higher grade levels and gave profound respect to his teachers. Needless to say, many students mocked him for being the perfect student, called him names, and other little atrocities children delight in when attacking the unusual. Though, even in this regard, Tech had become the center of abuse not because of his strange personality, but because he was an animal. Back when he was in the younger grades such as kindergarten, his other classmates didn't seem at all to be interested in his differences. In fact, they wanted to play with him even more because the kids thought he was cute.

Sadly enough, those joyful days soon became washed away. Tech had heard the phrase teacher's pet several times before, but it soon took on a literal meaning as he went through school. Though many thought he was a coward and simply meek, Tech had a very strong will. The pain of social rejection was forced deep into his heart as he concentrated more on schoolwork to dull the pain. His progress was astounding and many of the teachers supported him with help or recommendations. When looking back at his life, Tech could only say that if it not for his teachers and his parents, he would never have succeeded this far in his career. The memories of the past continue to haunt him and it is simply unbelievable that he held no malice or spite towards those students from the past. The students back then thought right: Tech was meek. And that meekness, coupled with his maturity, allowed Tech to remain unscathed in his innocence and disposition.

Unfortunately, even the strongest of mind can't completely eliminate feelings of shame and humiliation. Tech's stomach started to flutter as though the butterflies were propelled by jet packs. The students started to rise and move, while Tech was having trouble even with rising. Tech fought his emotions of nervousness as he began to wind through his well established intellect. Thinking through things logically, he resigned to think of his new peers with an open mind. Perhaps at this school people would finally appreciate him because of the similarities that brought them to this academy. Besides, this is a scientific community that should never be judgmental or biased because of background differences. They should always be objective and never let personal beliefs stand in the way of scientific progress.

With a confident smile, Tech approached the nearest student who wasn't having a conversation. He approached a young woman that seemed to be at the sophomore level. She was Caucasian, had brown hair, intriguing hazel eyes, and seemed to look generally favorable. With some reluctance, Tech approached her with his best foot forward and introduced himself.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. My name's Tech. What's yours?"

"Natalie," she responded. "Interesting to see you, Tech. I'm interested in chemical engineering and plan to be the head director of Acme Chemicals Inc. What about you?"

"Heh, heh...," Tech instinctively rubbed his head as a coping reaction, "wow, you're very straight forward aren't you?"

"Indeed," she replied rather coldly.

"... Well, umm... I have a broad range of interests, but they seem to concentrate around physics and engineering. As for future career goals, I haven't thoroughly decided yet."

"Very interesting. Nice meeting you Tech."

"You..." Tech began, but was cut short as Natalie turned to find another student to converse with. "... too."

Tech began to feel that dull pain again in his heart. Sure Natalie was polite and all, but that was it. She seemed to convey no such reactions of interest or appeal. Tech began to grow cold and searched around the room for another person to talk with. However, all of the students were either paired up or gathered in small trios throughout the room. He also noticed that the general location of the students tended to deviate from his position. It was as if they had planned this or purposely avoided him.

Again with a heavy heart, Tech forced himself to conceal and contain the turmoil that he had carried for so long. He now realized that there may be no hope for him in this world. The same occurrence was happening all over again. No longer were people openly indignant, but now they were silently evasive. This last chance, this last place of sanctuary, this last spark of hope, failed him miserably. The feeling almost became unbearable as his eyes started to water. Tech fought with all his might to prevent this, but only managed to allow one single solitary tear to drip onto his fur.

Tech slowly moved over to his desk and sat down opening his textbook for the class. From afar, one would think he was simply reading or trying to get a head start as his studious academic career suggests. However, Tech was remembering all the happy times he had with his young friends and family. His parents always encouraged him, played with him, shared secrets with him. They were of a close knit family. Living in the desert with miles of open territory can do that to people, especially those not thoroughly embedded and reliant on society. But the thought of his parents brought back another memory he tried to forget.

----

There you have it. Though the story hasn't gotten much farther, some background information is needed to create the perspective which you can observe Tech's train of thought, his feelings, and emotions. For now, who knows what effects this resurgence of past experiences will have on Tech? Much will come later.

Now for those of you who have reviewed this story, here are my thanks and/or replies. (alphabetical order)

Angelus-alvus- I will try and update faster if my patience doesn't fail me.

Animefangirl11- I hope you didn't mind the wait, but thanks very much for the support. And yes the cliffhangers will keep coming.

Black Oracle- Thanks very much for the compliment. I'll be sure to try and make the story as intriguing as I can. But I'm also glad another Tech fan has come on board too.

ChidoriManiac- By the sound of your enthusiasm, I think you went into a coma already waiting. Sorry about that. But I'm happy to see you like the story so far. Thanks very much.

darkliTe-sPirit- Aw, thank you. Tech's altered power is interesting, especially against Mallory perhaps. The villain turned out better than expected, but still more to come on him.

Experimental Fairimental- Well, I'm glad you don't hate this show anymore. It's very funny and I hope more episodes will come for it too.

GoDrOx- Thank you GoDrOx. Here's the chapter.

Ippiki Ookami no Kage- Yes, cliffhangers are a wonderful thing. Thanks very much again for the correspondences and chats. I hope to contact you again, without my inability to remain on the computer.

Jessi the Fangirl- I thank all of you Jessi's for the support.

matn90- Thanks for the encouragement. I'll try and keep things interesting.

NightShadow Blitz- Oh, thank you, thank you so much. I will try and update faster.

PurpleCobra247- Thank you. I hope to keep the writing up too.

Shark- I'm very glad you enjoyed it Shark. And thanks for pointing out some of my writing styles. Now I just need to improve on them. I'll be sure to continue the story.

Windel- Thanks Windel, it's no problem. I'll try and update as fast as I can. After all, I can actually use your enthusiasm to get this story going. (well, ch. 4 doesn't count... ). And yes, it is Rev. Good insight.


	5. Chapter 5

Well, it finally happened that I got this part going for some miracle. Believe me, I'm developing this as I go along so things are moving very slowly. That and I have Organic chemistry to worry about. I'm sorry to say that my promise didn't come to pass. Excuses seem to be very common when updating a story. I'm sure all of you are sick of my excuses because I'm already sick of them. I guess that's what I get for taking over 20 units in college. (and believe me, spare yourselves some grief for those of you not in college)

Oh yeah, the reason I'm uploading all these updates/stories (3) (how'd that happen? Yup, amazing isn't it?) is simply to give appreciation to all the readers. As I said, I don't update very often, but your comments help me to continue. In any case, this'll be like feeding the lions to prolong their hunger before attacking the feeder. Needless to say, I won't be updating for the rest of the fall semester, or at least that's the way it looks like anyway.

Now that I'm done ranting, I hope this chapter gets the old apprehension going again because I put a lot of work into this one. And as similar to the last chapter, or whichever chapter I did it in I'll be making replies to comments. Seems easier to me and more manageable than trying to log on the computer everyday.

Oh, and for purposes of mystery and all that, I will not name Tech's parents. Naming people isn't my strong point and I'll simply ruin the whole thing. Anyway, enjoy.

Loonatics Unleashed © Warner Bros.

* * *

That past memory...

It started on a bright and sunny day, as is usual with the desert climate. The arid, hot air swept across the great expanse and seemed to intensify the heat of the sun. Surrounding tufts of dry brush and cacti inhabiting the wasteland gave a very picturesque yet gloomy landscape. Traveling along the outcropped dirt roads, the Coyotes were making their way back home from the Acme Tech Institute. Tech's parents were insistent on visiting the world famous technical institute upon learning of Tech's dreams for attending it. Both were positively beaming with joy and happiness for their son's hopes and ambition.

They had altogether decided to visit the institute to observe what Tech's future school would be like. It was one of those sentimental trips with no real logical reasoning behind them. In any case, Tech was too excited to mind, but would have agreed with them anyway for he knew how to be considerate, especially when his parents have done so much for him.

"I really can't believe that my little Tech will be leaving for Acme Tech," his mother cried. "It's as if it was just yesterday that you went to elementary school."

"Well, I am 14 after all, mom."

"I know, I know. I just wish I could spend more time with you dear. You've always been my pride and joy... I couldn't have wished for a better son."

"Nor could I," his father slightly interjected.

"And I couldn't have wished for better parents."

As usual, that last statement brought a tear jerking moment for his mother. His father knew the sentiment well, but was more restrained in his emotions as is customary for the male populace. Tech knew how to be a good son. He knew how to say all the right words and was ever vigilant in the slight changes of his parents emotions. However, his use of this knowledge came in no form of manipulation, but simply in wanting to see his parents genuinely happy. Although, it wasn't always this way. His observational skill wasn't simply a God-given natural ability, but was more along the lines of being forced upon him as a curse. Being a constant outcast from friendships and social cliques, Tech grew more and more in the ways of observing other people and their subtle, instinctive gestures.

He had to.

Making friends wasn't the easiest for him and whether he wanted to or not, he had to learn the concepts of rejection over and over again. Rather than discovering the answer that comes with emotional hardship or public humiliation, observing how people reacted was much less painful. Though this gave him some relief, this very skill made him even more receptive to his parent's needs.

Tech never mentioned his relations in school, but simply relied on his parent/teacher conferences to convey an outward appearance of success. He did not want to worry his parents or make them apprehensive of their only son. Ever since he started school, he had been unconsciously aware of the problems his parents faced financially. It always drove him into guilt whenever he would over hear his parent's "late-night" discussions about money problems.

Tech's dad worked for a landscaping and construction business as one of the chief architects. The pay was hefty, but relied terribly on commissions. Needless to say, his dad literally hanged from paycheck to paycheck. It always surprised Tech to hear his parents go through the family album, recalling past scientific geniuses inherent in their bloodline and with his dad being in the job he was in. More than a few times, Tech would ask what happened to his dad. Good-naturedly, he would always reply that it must have skipped a few generations. As for his mom, she was a simple and kind-hearted house wife. She would always tend to the needs of her men and showed unconditional devotion towards both of them. Though not bringing a supplementary income, her angelic attitude more than compensated.

Regardless of the situation, Tech knew he would never want to make them unhappy in the slightest. Any such event would create insurmountable guilt and frustration for himself if he had been the cause. That was why he was exceedingly persistent in trying to gain a full-ride scholarship to attend Acme Tech. The hard work he did would soon pay off and drove his determination to finally free his parents from a financial burden.

"You know son, I expect you to graduate high school next year, even though you're only a sophomore." his dad motioned.

"Really?" Tech jerked at the unexpected comment.

"Yup," his dad began jokingly. "You should have already gotten into college when you were 13 with those IQ points of yours."

Tech laughed as he launched a counter-argument of his own. "Oh yeah, well maybe if the family genius didn't pass you, maybe you would have graduated earlier than me."

"Oooh, you're a real smart-aleck, aren't you Tech?"

"I learn from the best dad."

Both were smiling ear to ear as his mom calmed them both down. "Now, now you two. I'm sure you'll both have plenty of time to argue once we get home," she said as she smiled with them. His mother peered over to her husband as she quietly shifted her bright eyes. Tech's father noticed that suggestive glance as he began to think if this was the best time. Both of them had constantly talked with each other in secret about Tech's readiness to go through the tradition.

But, he needed not a second thought as he remembered who exactly he was thinking about. It always warmed his heart seeing his boy with such an ardent heart of a scholar. Education had always been the family's main concern. It was a very pressing issue for him, especially due to his constrained income. But he was almost in disbelieve that his own son managed to go so far on his own. He knew the family spirit would always burn within Tech and never doubted the education none could deny his own little searcher of knowledge.

"Tech...?"

"Yes dad?"

"There's something your mother and I would like to show you when we get home."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I'll show you when we arrive."

"Alright!" Tech smiled as he cheerfully hummed and looked out onto the landscape.

Tech's father inwardly cried as he watched his son from the rear-view mirror. The young coyote reminded so much of all that was good in the world. Unrestrained innocence and the future generation. He couldn't believe how blessed they were for having such a child. Both he and his wife knew Tech to be destined for great things. But they also knew that just one of those things could ruin him. Therefore, they could not wait any longer, for now was the time.

The family soon arrived home as their aching bones and muscles shifted from the confined space of their vehicle. Five hundred miles of almost non-stop driving took its toll for the worn out Coyotes as they unpacked their few belongings into their relatively untouched home. As Tech went inside, his parents motioned him to follow them. They shifted quietly through the living room and headed for the den. Their house was impeccably pristine thanks to the handy work of Tech's mother. Truly, each piece of furniture was cleaned with care, while dusts' invasion lessened the integrity during the time of the family's departure. Tech followed in awe and silence as he wondered what occasion had his parents slightly apprehensive.

It was even more puzzling for the young canine that his parents led him into the den. That was his dad's private work area that not even his mom would be allowed access, unless for the purpose of tidying up. Ever since he could remember, Tech was never allowed into this area. Even on good days when his parents were at their happiest, their guard never let up. Tech wondered sometimes if his parents were tormenting him on purpose. A room that was never allowed to be entered and treated as a rule, for a kid, was outrageous. How could they have not known the curiosity that would writhe and struggle to be satisfied, especially with his personality? But now was finally the time. The moment must have been very important to be allowed entrance. The whole experience was suspenseful as each second passed with long steady strides. His father unsheathed the key within his pocket as Tech looked back at his mother, her eyes with a sense of wisdom.

_Click._

The door unlocked as the forbidden room made itself known to the long anxious youngster. The door slowly hinged from obstructing his view as Tech was met with a sudden surprise. The long awaited event proved to be somewhat of a disappointment. It was a rather plain area with glossy wooden floors. The desk was stationed off to the side with several chairs and a sofa adorning the center. There also was a very gorgeous fireplace embedded into the wall near an odd looking plant. Besides the basic furniture necessities, a large drawing table latched onto Tech's wandering eyes. The angled table looked terribly unkempt with clusters of paper threatening to over take the table itself. A lamp was clamped onto the side along with several sketches that Tech figured to be some of his dad's designs. With a mental sigh, Tech looked around for other curious things. Though he knew his dad's room must have been very secretive, he shouldn't have expected some prodigiously, glorified den. Perhaps it was just childish hope overriding logical reasoning, but such feelings were very hard to come by, as he knew very well.

_K-k-klump!_

The sound caught him unawares as Tech searched for the noise. To his amazement, Tech found his dad with mom and a flashlight in hand overturning a hidden trap door. His curiosity was heightened at its peak as he eagerly followed his parents down below ground using the secretly placed stairs. Gradually moving down, Tech peered into the dingy darkness using the artificial light as a bearing. Though the sunlight shining through the den's window gave its strong presence, even they could not seem to illuminate a slight path. It was as if there was some mysterious force preventing light from entering. Tech followed in a slightly frightened manner with his parents giving no notice. The trek was only for a few meters, but the awkward sounds of fresh footsteps echoing through the tunnel's walls made lost the sense of time.

"Come here Tech. This is what me and your mom brought you here for."

Tech looked towards the sound of his father's voice as he suddenly noticed a fire-red light emanating between his parents. The glow was radiant, but gentle and soft. The mere sight left a warm feeling within Tech as if he knew what caused the unexplainable feeling. Approaching closer, Tech spotted the source of the strange light. Sitting etched into the wall was a small, black stone. It had a brilliant luster and shone with an outer light. And that was the peculiar thing about it. Besides the light shown from the flashlight, another came from the stone, visible around the infrared spectra.

Tech continued to stare wide-eyed at the other curiosities besides the dark gem. Ornate carvings and intricate designs seemed to extend from where the stone situated. They were beautiful symbols, cultural remnants that elegantly lined the stone wall as a painting in itself and a reminder of the past. Tech marveled at this closely guarded secret and consumed all that he saw, lest this was the only time he would be allowed down into this sanctuary.

"Dad? Mom?... What is this place?"

"This, son, is where the spirit resides... the Coyote spirit," his dad explained solemnly. "Every Coyote born comes here to have their spirit tested."

Tech gawked at the explanation his dad made. Having been raised for so long under the impression of practical and logical reasoning, this new revelation blew his mind away. Never in all his life would he expect his family to be somewhat taken by the supernatural. But he could see that his dad was very deliberate in his words. Even though a whirlwind of confusion stormed in his mind, Tech remained considerate as he listened to his father.

"I know this must be very surprising for you Tech, but there is truth and relevance to this tradition. Though education has been the main value of this family, each and every one of us Coyotes cannot live on science alone. There needs to be heart, compassion, and the inner spirit that allows us to pursue knowledge without losing ourselves to its darker sides. It is the very reason why our family has kept its honor and integrity. Believe it or not, there are some things that logic and science cannot answer. They cannot answer what we ought to do, but only what we can do. Never forget this, Tech. I have seen a strong and remarkable spirit within you. Not only are you wise beyond your years, but you have the humility that is rare among many people. It is my sincere hope that you find your inner fire at the passing of this test. Because, we know..." his father deftly paused as he gazed at him. Tech suddenly felt very uneasy as the stoic eyes of his father was piecing through the mask that he had created. He tried to remain firm, but soon began to quiver slightly at the knowing eyes of both his parents.

"We know, Tech. You have been hiding your true feelings for a very long time. Did you think we wouldn't notice?"

"N-notice what, father...?" Tech spoke evasively.

"It's alright Tech. You don't have to conceal yourself from us any longer. You have been our only pride and joy since the day you were born, son. We've always been proud of you no matter how small or great your accomplishments were. Nothing you could do would make us love you any less. That's why we could see how much you've been suffering."

Tech froze at those last words, while he listened. His eyes were full with fear and disbelief, but his dad knew those eyes and comforted Tech with a smile.

"You may be able to hide your feelings, but there's nothing you can do to hide your spirit."

"... H-how?... How did you guys know...?"

"Tech," his mother came and hugged him with unending tenderness. "We're your parents. We know you inside and out even if you believe you've done all you can to hide it from us."

"Your mother is right, Tech. But I tell you to reaffirm that there is no reason we could have not known. The clear indicator of your heart, ironically, was your strength: your humility."

"W-what?"

"Yes. Your humility Tech. This family has always raised bright and innovative Coyotes, for it is a blessing... and yet, a curse. Because of the family genius, we Coyotes have always had problems with arrogance and egoism. It is a constant struggle, a generational curse that always needs to be kept watched. That's what revealed your feelings. You have already proven to have the family genius, but what you lack is the family curse. You see... no one, not even the oldest creature living can behave the way you do if they haven't suffered. Your teachers always remind and inform us of your extraordinary maturity. You always respect them and other people, but respect wasn't all that you portrayed. You were complacent to those who wronged you, considerate to those who envy you, and humble to those beneath you. Such compassion only comes from those who have endured painful hardships, suffering, yet remain without bitterness and resentment. That compassion is what you hold within."

Tech was in a storm of his own as all his secrets were revealed in one fell swoop. His eyes poured a relentless wave of relief and joy long after his father ended. Much of the restrained emotions were let out all at once. The event was overwhelming for Tech both in a relieving yet elusive way. He was finally able to unburden many worries that haunted him, but still felt guilty for allowing his parents to find out about his problems. It's not that he didn't listen to what his father said, but that he can never let go of the fact that his pains should never be the concerns of others. Though this shred of guilt remained, Tech felt joyful.

"Aww, shh shh shhhh... there, there..." his mom cooed, embracing him in another heart-felt hug. Tech felt much better when hugging his mom. The feeling was always a happy kind. She had an irresistible aura that made the darkest face shine. He would never grow old enough to never long for a hug from her. His father smiled and slightly wept as he formed a new composure.

"I'm very happy to see that you can share your feelings with us, but it is time." Once Tech and his mom were at full attention, his dad continued. "Now Tech, can you see that black gem in the center. It's a very rare opal that has been in our family for many generations."

"An opal? But they don't form in the desert, do they?"

"That's correct. Opal doesn't form in the desert. However, it was brought here long ago and has remained here since anyone can remember. It is known as the Desert's Fire."

"The Desert's Fire...?"

"Yes... It symbolizes the spirit within each of us. The inner fire that drives our courage and determination. The Desert's Fire remains dormant as a dark stone devoid of any feeling or color. It only reveals its true nature to a person who has fully comprehended their own spirit. And now it is your time, son, to see if you have fully grasped yours." His father stood off to the side and motioned Tech to approach the center of the cave, facing the delicate opal.

"Now look closely Tech. Look into the the darkness and search for that light. Only you can see the light of your spirit. If you find it, you will know."

Tech heeded his father's words and focused his eyes onto the gem. He peered into the black void and searched for that glimmer of his spirit. He concentrated with all his might, yet nothing came. He stood there for what seemed like hours and still there was no sign of anything except the dark opal and the strange fire-red glow surrounding the edges. Tech was not sure of exactly what to look for if not this light. However, as he continued to look, he started to grow cold. The strange sensation traveled from his head and down through his spine. The experience was ethereal, but in a frightening way. Suddenly, but only for a brief instant, something happened. In the eye of Tech's mind, a flash of light etched an image into his memory: the image of a tiny flame. Just as suddenly as it came, it vanished. Tech was bewildered by what he saw and tried to look on for what had happened. Try as he might, nothing came and his father noticed the strain on Tech's face trying to find something that he just lost sight of.

"What did you see?"

"... Nothing..., just a small flame appeared, then disappeared."

"... It seems you are still missing a part of yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"The Desert's Fire shines when you have gained what you lack. That's why we have this ritual. It reveals to the person that something is missing in their spirit. Only when they have finally found what they have been missing, does their spirit become whole."

"So, does that mean I'm still missing part of myself?"

"Yes."

"Then how do I find it?"

"Only your walk through life will give you the answer."

Tech bowed his head with a hint of dismay. Though his parent's acknowledgment was still fresh in his mind, he could not help but feel ashamed in disappointing them somehow. From what his father had said, it sounded as if he would have comprehended his spirit by now. Tech never considered the thought of having a part of himself missing. Now with this little ceremony over, there was another agenda he had to worry about.

"Don't look so defeated Tech," his father interrupted his thoughts, "you'll have plenty of time trying to find it. In the meantime, you have a world-famous technical institute that requires attention." Tech smiled at his dad's attempt at uplifting his mood.

"Thanks dad."

"Don't say thanks yet, you still have to work hard to get there. Once you do, I'm sure you'll have the time of your life. Guess you'll forget all about your mom and me, huh?" Tech's dad slyly added.

"N-no, no," Tech worried as he heard those words come from his father, completely missing the subtle, comedic tone. "I'll always remember you both and for what you've done for me. Without you guys, I'd never been able to get here."

Both his parents were somewhat surprised for Tech's change in tone, but reassured him. "Relax son. We know you'll remember us. But **you** remember that your drive and determination got you here, while we simply stood on the sidelines. Never forget the spirit you hold in your heart. Your humbleness and compassion are the greatest strengths you could have. And always search for your spirit, your inner fire Tech. We can only be here for you for so long. We know that we are a pillar of support for you, but you must learn to be strong when the time comes that you must rely on yourself."

Tech shed a slight tear as he nodded submissively and took his parent's words to heart. Never in all his life had he took his weakness to be his greatest strength. He would never forget the wisdom his parents bestowed upon him.

. . . . . . . And that was one of the last moments he heard from them.

True to their last words, Tech had to face the cruel reality at an unbearable time. The very next day his father and mother had a car accident that both severely injured them. They were not even in the ambulance for 5 minute before they passed away. Those two days were forever ingrained into Tech's mind as life-changing... but for better... or for worse?

-----

That last recollection penetrated Tech deeply. His heart could have jumped from his chest while his mind and body overflowed with unbridled emotion. He even had to release his book, placing it upright to block all view, and use his hands to cover his mouth. If not held back another second later, Tech would have howled and screamed in utter despair and sadness. His tears were flowing freely now as he struggled to restrain himself. Unfortunately, the thoughts of his parents kept coming back. Tech knew this would happen and had this thought ever since his classmates began teasing him. Being very developed in mind since beginning school, Tech had to face tragic questions such as his parent's death when his innocent youth could never hope to cope with such dramatic and painful thoughts.

However, Tech had no choice but to think of these tragic scenarios because of how much he suffered inside. He knew all too well that his parents were the only ones that cared for him deeply. He had to face the fact that sooner or later, they would be gone. That is why he had to be strong. That is why he had to endure. He can't rely on his parents for comfort forever. He had to go out and learn to accept the fate that was dealt to him. But also to learn that as a person who suffered so much, needed to show compassion to those who suffered as well.

And with that, Tech's anguish began to melt away while he came to. His red eyes may be able to betray his true feelings, but his objective and formal tone of speech relayed a different message of confidence. Taking on his calm, introverted exterior, he patiently waited until the icebreaker exercise concluded.

... That was how it went for the rest of Tech's first semester. He remained constantly attentive and enthusiastic in all his workings. The bright, new future he had at the institute strengthened his resolve to the point of excessive perseverance. The knowledge he had learned from grade schools long past was nothing compared to the constantly expanding fields he was exposed to. That was when Tech became interested in all manners of machinery. His uncanny interests in science, his enthusiasm and appreciation to learn became his solitary lime light. Distractions were nothing as he was considered a piercing arrow to create and achieve all that he set his mind to. Indeed, the professors became extremely impressed with his intuitive abilities and overall creativity.

Sadly as with such attention and admiration, more and more, several of his colleagues began to despise him for his achievements. Though not all were predisposed to make careful watch of any mistakes that might befall the coyote genius, there was a general consensus that made the mention of his name drive feelings of envy. Much so that the few who made it their priority to make Tech's life miserable began to spread rumors. These rumors consisted of faulty accusations along with mentionings of flopped inventions that were blown out of proportion. In fact, this very rumor was what Tech was known for notoriously. Although it's true that many of Tech's inventions required several test runs and adjustments, none of them were comprehensively faulty. Only cries of envy and contempt rang hollow in those rumors, but with such dramatic effect and general acceptance that it started to affect Tech's concentration and confidence.

His constantly bombarded emotional barrier needed high maintenance. This now slanderous rumor cut into the very core of Tech's being. Childhood had always reminded him of painful comments, scoffing peers, and unsavory encounters. However, this had become too personal. He was always teased for his character and for being different. But now, people were mocking his inventions. Tech would never believe the whispered conversations if not with his own ears. It was one thing to attack him personally, but an entirely different matter when it came to his research and creations. In the past, people acknowledged his intelligence and now, instead, they ridicule that very strength and distinguishing characteristic that set him apart. At least before, Tech had a reason to remain strong. However, that one pillar of support was shattered and was left only with his memories.

Tech cried and cried every night thereafter. The burdensome heat that surrounded his being was unrelenting and merciless. The lasting memories of his parents were all that was left. Tech feared for his future, feared for his sanity. For he surely knew that he would go berserk at any moment if his colleagues had the gall to defile the memory of his parents. That looming sense of loneliness, conceived so young, had potential to be brought back with rage and all its fury.

"_. . . . . . why. . . , do I go on?"_

(Flashback end)

-----

Flashing bouts of recollection, a dull aching pain throbbing in the distance, Tech's mind swam out of the void of unconsciousness as he came back to reality with a start. He tried to open his eyes, but only found darkness.

_. . . Where am I? . . ._

A band had been tied along his whole upper head and blocked his vision. He felt slight ting-lings as he motioned for some feeling back into his arms and legs. The whole scene felt entirely surreal. The bed he was in was so soft and comfortable that it was tempting to just go back to sleep and lie under the warm covers. However, a lot was on his mind and it would be impossible to sleep at such a moment. The memories and flashbacks that he went through while he was asleep deeply troubled him. The whole episode and its occurrence felt like a bad omen. Tech wanted to bury those memories again, but now they were fully awake in his mind and troubled his soul.

_Mom. . . Dad. . . why did you have to go. . . . ?_

Tech was seized by the irrepressible urge to cry once more. That memory always came back stronger than the last time he recalled it. However, he couldn't remember the last time he cried. Ever since he joined with the team, he had always felt so happy. But now... now the despair was coming back again. But why? The thoughts gave him a moment of distraction, but crying came back as a necessary response. But somehow, Tech suppressed it. Knowing his friends could be around, Tech fought the urge and waited until he got a better grip on his surroundings.

Trying to move was extremely difficult as if muscular atrophy suddenly struck him. But Tech also noticed that he was still extremely weak. Gathering strength into his dominant arm, Tech brought his hand to remove the bandages covering his eye.

Although the room was dimly lit, Tech squinted his eyes in slight pain and irritation from the light. He recounted the last events he remembered and considered nothing that should have damaged his eyesight. But in melancholic preponderance, he then wondered how long he was in bed. A reaction to such low lighting must have meant at least three days of no exposure to sunlight. But what really struck him was the room. The white tiles, sterile smells, and purified walls indicated that he was in the hospital.

_What happened to me?. . ._

This somewhat frightened him as he began to get a very dry feeling in his mouth and throat. He slowly looked around the room and found him there by the bedside.

Rev was sitting in a chair situated next to his side and was sleeping in an awkward position. His head rested neatly face-down upon his folded arms, which was obstructing Tech's left arm. Tech was instantly filled with tenderness and conviction as he continued to stare at his dear friend. Tech felt the urge to cry again, but didn't want to disturb him so he continued to look around and finally found a glass of water right next to Rev on a stand. He tried gliding his arms under the sheet, but he was thoroughly pinned by Rev. In that case, he used his right arm and tried to reach for the glass, when a sudden stinging pain hit him. The sensation came so abruptly, even if it was minor, that he moaned in pain. Tech tried futilely to restrain it, but it soon woke Rev from his slumber.

"Tech!!!" Rev cried through watery, red eyes.

Even without using his super-speed, Rev's reaction was ungodly and ablaze with genuine concern from distress. He instantly hugged Tech and was in tears while he continued to cry into his chest. So filled with emotion, his young heart could hardly stand the waves of relief that swept him as he once again saw Tech alive and well. "You're-alright,-you're-alright..." he continued to mutter, straining his breath. Tech was overwhelmed from this unexpected reception as he tried to comfort the road runner. Moving both arms over Rev, Tech noticed the mark left on his fur.

His left arm was thoroughly wet and stained with Rev's tears. Rev had cried himself to sleep and penetrated the sheet covers with his tears. Tech was overcome with feeling as tears of happiness filled his heart. He hugged his overwhelmed friend as he still continued to cry.

"It's okay Rev, it's okay," Tech whispered to him while he stroked Rev's back. "What's with all the crying buddy?

"Oh-Tech! I'm-just-so-happy-to-see-you-up-again!"

"Well why wouldn't I be up?"

"B-b-because. . .," Rev stuttered as he fought through the anguish, "because-you-were-unconscious-for-five-days!"

* * *

There's some light shed on Tech's past (my version for the purposes of this story anyway) and more questions to be answered. Tech had quite a challenging life to say the least. So now will these memories interfere with his new life as a Loonatic?

Time will tell (very long time I'm afraid) so stay tuned for the next chapter. I suggest waiting until Christmas Break. Even then I might still be struggling with getting chapter six done. Hope everyone enjoyed it and here are the responses to those who commented on chapter 4:

**Angelus-alvus**- Thanks.

**Animefangirl11**- Heh, well Tech's past was just something that came from the storyline I thought up. It can be one possibility, but I certainly would wish Tech had an easier time in childhood. Anyway, this chapter should reveal much more than simply a bad childhood, I hope. Thanks for the support.

**Black Oracle**- Thanks very much for your interest into Tech's past. Although I can't say this is the past I would have imagined Tech to have because it fits more along dramatic lines for the purposes of this story. However, I hope you enjoyed this deeper look into the past from this story's assumption. Thanks again.

**dArkliTe-sPirit**- Heh, you are very perceptive. Much more is to come with this slight little hint so you are on the right track.

**DOMITUPSYK**- Oh, I'm very sorry. I guess excuses won't help, but I do have a hefty course load to work with. But, I will try my best to update quicker if time allows. Thanks for the reinforcement though.

**evilitachi**- Thanks for the encouragement. Seems like there a lot of Tech fans, so yay for Tech fans.

**Ippiki Ookami no Kage**- Aww, thank you. Oh and sorry for not getting to you. I had summer classes as well, so the conversations I think will have to wait. However, I already have done some research on the other member's abilities with regards to somewhat plausible scientific explanations. As for this chapter, I'm sure this is much more enticing than the previous one, since you love psychology. Very tough subject, getting into people's minds that is, but I hope it proves stimulating and provokes thought. See you around.

**Jessi the Fangirl**- Yeah, I say poor Tech while I write this too, but it should make him a better person by the end of it.

**Mimic12355**- Thanks very much. I promise that the ending will turn out well and that the story will be engaging. Well, at least to the best of my abilities.

**NightShadow Blitz**- Yup, I will keep it up. No worries here.

**Ruthchang93- **I'm so happy for you as another Tech fan. Hope this story isn't too depressing for you, but it will get better. I promise.

**Shark**- I try. Glad you liked it.


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